The 2014 Genesis will be based on a heavily-upgraded rear-wheel-drive architecture which will provide significant contribution to the car’s overall weight reduction. According to sources close to Hyundai, the new model will lose more than 100 kilograms in overall weight. Rumored to make its official public debut in the second half of 2013, the 2014 Hyundai Genesis will also provide sportier driving experience thanks to its upgraded suspension set-up. Under the hood, the forth-coming Genesis sedan will feature a range of highly-potent V6 and V8 engines mated to the 10-speed automatic transmission. Additionally, the fuel-savy hybrid powertrain is rumored to be available as well, however, we have no technical details about it at this point!

German transmission supplier ZF has a nine-speed automatic that will be introduced next year, and reports have said Hyundai is looking to pack ten forward gears into a forthcoming gearbox. What's next? Cars with as many gears as mountain bikes?

That's unlikely, says ZF North American president Julio Caspari, who tells Automotive News that the gear race is "close to the limit." AN says Caspari thinks marketing may be a bigger factor than engineering when it comes to developing transmissions with additional gears, citing just an 11-percent difference between the best transmissions today and a theoretically perfect unit.

Caspari questions the cost-effectiveness of building a so-called "perfect" transmission, saying that further friction reduction would require expensive materials, like ceramic ball bearings.