Hyundai is reportedly planning to create a dedicated luxury division, repurposing the Genesis name to identify a wider family of premium vehicles.

The lineup is said to center around the existing Genesis variants and the Equus sedan. The latter model is expected to be renamed during the transition, several unnamed sources have told Reuters.

The report corroborates rumors pointing to a new midsize premium SUV based on the Genesis sedan platform. Additional details remain unclear, though the model is expected to launch via the luxury division around 2019.

The company avoided establishing a standalone luxury brand when it launched the Genesis sedan in 2008, minimizing costs and risks associated with a separate sales channel. Despite the rebranding, however, the Korean automaker is still expected to use its existing dealer network for both Hyundai- and Genesis-badged vehicles.

Defending the strategy in 2013 as Hyundai rolled out a dealer training program to bolster Equus and Genesis sales, then-CEO John Krafcik proclaimed “we don’t want isolated islands of retail excellence, like Lexus. We want all of our premium knowledge to filter into all of our products.”

The renewed focus on premium branding is said to be related to the strong Korean won and increasing pressure from foreign luxury brands sold at home. The currency valuation has a negative impact on profits for vehicles exported out of the country.

Hyundai is expected to announce the move in the coming days.

Bookending its four-cylinder-powered 1967 Nova, Chevrolet has unveiled a 1970 Camaro RS packing a supercharged 6.2L V8 at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

The SEMA Camaro uses the same basic LT4 V8 engine used in the Corvette Z06, giving the vintage muscle car a decidedly modern dose of power — 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque to be exact. That power is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.

Chevy is using the SEMA concept as a way to promote its LT4 aftermarket crate motor.

“Chevrolet Performance pioneered the concept of high-performance crate engines and the LT4 represents a new threshold in technologically advanced, production-based choices for builders,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “Whether it’s in a classic Camaro, like this resto-mod concept, or a vintage truck or street rod, the possibilities are almost endless – and that’s exactly how we continue to fuel the dreams of enthusiasts.”

In addition to its upgraded engine, the 1970 Camaro concept also features a sports suspension, Z06-based disc brakes and 19-inch wheels. The concept is finished is Hyper Blue Metallic, which is an optional paint color for the current sixth-generation Camaro.

Builders interested in recreating the 1970 Camaro restso-mod can buy the LT4 engine from Chevrolet Performance for $15,625.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has detailed nearly a dozen Mopar-customized Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat and Ram vehicles unveiled at SEMA.

A Dodge Challenger GT all-wheel-drive concept appears to be Mopar’s highlight build for the event, representing a “one-of-a-kind, year-round muscle car” with improved traction. A concept wide-body kit adds flared fenders, accommodating 20-inch staggered wheels, while its 5.7-liter HEMI engine benefits from a Scat Pack 3 kit for 75 extra horsepower.

The same engine upgrades were used for the Charger Deep Stage 3, distinguished by a Silver Bullet exterior color with Matte Black covering the top of the vehicle. A front chin splitter, rear splitter and unique rear valence have been created for the show car, which sits on concept 22-inch dark bronze wheels.

Paying homage to the Dodge Omni GLH (Goes Like Hell), the Dart GLH showcases a long list of production components. The package focuses on exterior enhancements, with a Pitch Black body color and matching black-anodized 18-inch wheels.

Designers took a few more liberties with the Chrysler 300 Super S, featuring a concept front fascia with 300 ‘Easter eggs’ hidden on the matte black grille. The sedan has been lowered and placed on 22-inch concept wheels, while the interior has been outfitted with light grey leather, blue contrast stitching, a unique T-handle shifter and a flat-bottom steering wheel.

A pair of modified Fiat 500X crossovers will be on display, highlighting the model’s first year at SEMA. The 500X Chicane is presented as a street-tuner vehicle, outfitted with a concept front fascia, custom body panels and oversized 20-inch black wheels. The 500X Mobe takes a different tack, assembled with Mopar parts that can help “haul toys tot he beach.”

The company is bringing its Ram Rebel X, essentially a Ram 1500 Rebel equipped with production parts. The Ram display will also include a ProMaster City DiveMaster van for scuba divers, along with a DragMaster van that could serve as a tow vehicle for a drag racing machine.

All of the customized vehicles will be spread out across FCA’s 15,345-square-foot display at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

October looks to have been a monster month for the U.S. auto industry.

Domestic determination
FCA was first out of the gate with results, posting increase in every brand. Even Fiat, which has struggled mightily this year, posted another year-over-year gain. It was a meager 1%, but it wasn’t negative. Also noteworthy in the FCA corner is Dodge. With the discontinued Avenger starting to clear off the books, the brand seems to have emerged from its spreadsheet slide. Only Durango, Dart and Viper slumped, and none in numbers that really hit Dodge’s volumes in a meaningful way.

GM had a similarly excellent October, with all of its subsidiary brands either up or flat (Buick). GMC, like Jeep, continues to sizzle on strong demand for trucks and SUVs.

Ford’s results were a bit more mixed. While the Blue Oval itself posted a stellar 14.3% increase, Lincoln, bucking recent progress, was off 4.5%.

Diesel Negated
Volkswagen managed to hold flat despite the Dieselgate fall-out by absolutely blowing out some of its ageing inventory. The Tiguan, Touareg, CC, Passat, Eos and GTI all had stellar months, while Golf, Golf SportWagen (vs. Jetta SportWagen a year ago) and Jetta all took hits. The real bright spot for Volkswagen was the e-Golf, new to the books, which put nearly 600 units in the positive column and for the second month in a row, saving Volkswagen from a negative result. Whether this is a sustainable course for the German manufacturer remains to be seen.

Audi, on the other hand, remained inconspicuously and unapologetically strong, posting its 58th consecutive monthly sales increase.

From Japan with love
Honda/Acura both posted solid October results, with no real surprises on either front save for perhaps a very small dip in CR-V sales. With HR-V still strong out of the gate, it’s not surprising that a few units may have been cannibalized, but I doubt corporate is bothered by that trend. Nissan’s sales chart shows a couple of unexpected entries in the positive column, including particularly strong Z and Quest sales. At Infiniti, the new QX50 was healthy in October (as were the rest of the company’s crossovers).

Mazda finally found its spark in October, with a 35% bump over the same period in 2014–its best in 21 years. Not a single model still in production posted a negative month for the small Japanese independent. Last October wasn’t particularly strong for the brand, so the on-paper numbers may be a bit deceiving, but it was nonetheless a huge jump.

Somehow, that’s not the most interesting number from a Japanese automaker. Scion, which has been languishing for months, posted a nearly 50% increase in October. That may not seem significant on a volume of less than 7,000 units, but it’s still an unexpected spark for the Toyota subsidiary which has struggled for so long. Continued strong sales in November and December could actually allow them to make up their nearly 10% deficit compared to 2014 and come close to breaking even.

A peek at premium
With Toyota reporting results, we have our first luxury segment numbers. Lexus posted a 13% gain on sales of 26,436.

October year-over-year:

- Acura up 4.2%, 16,079
– Alfa new, 65
– Audi up 16.8%, 17,700
– Bentley down 57.1%, 121
– BMW
- Buick flat (-0.2%), 18,660
– Cadillac up 13%, 15,391
– Chevrolet up 17.6%, 183,464
– Chrysler up 1%, 27.801
– Dodge up 12%, 46,612
– Fiat up 1%, 3,757
– Ford up 14.3%, 205,453
– GMC up 18%, 45,478
– Honda up 9.3%, 115,572
– Hyundai
– Infiniti up 23.2%, 11,143
– Jaguar
– Jeep up 33%, 73,561
– Kia
– *Lamborghini
– Land Rover
– Lexus up 13.2%, 26,436
– Lincoln down 4.5%, 8,485
– Maserati
– Mazda up 35.4%, 25,451
– **Mercedes-Benz
– MINI
– Mitsubishi up 19.8%, 7,426
– Nissan up 11.5%, 104,904
– Porsche
– Ram up 3%, 43,749
– Scion up 49.9%, 6,270
– smart
– Subaru
– *Tesla
– Toyota up 12%, 171,339
– Volkswagen flat, (0.24%), 30,387
– Volvo

2015 year-to-date

- Acura up 9.6%, 148,098
– Alfa new, 562
– Audi up 13%, 165,103
– Bentley down 15.5%, 1,917
– BMW
– Buick down 1.6%, 186,387
– Cadillac flat (-0.3%), 141,090
– Chevrolet up 4.8%, 1,779,646
– Chrysler up 10%, 276,601
– Dodge down 12%, 428,959
– Fiat down 9%, 35,576
– Ford up 5.4%, 2,103,677
– GMC up 12.5%, 455,717
– Honda up 2.2%, 1,172,119
– Hyundai
– Infiniti up 13.6%, 106,711
– Jaguar
– Jeep up 24%, 706,471
– Kia
– *Lamborghini
– Land Rover
– Lexus up 12.2%, 173,881
– Lincoln up 7.5%, 82,449
– Maserati
– Mazda up 2.9%, 267,158
– **Mercedes-Benz
– MINI
– Mitsubishi up 25%, 80,683
– Nissan up 5.5%, 1,131,824
– Porsche
– Ram up 6%, 402,237
– Subaru
– Scion down 9.6%, 45,471
– smart
– *Tesla
– Toyota up 4.2%, 1,752,094
– Volkswagen down 2.19%, 294,602
– Volvo

*Based on estimates from Automotive News.
** NOT including Sprinter

Note that last month’s highlights and lowlights listed below are merely a selection of some of the month’s bigger movers.

Highlights (sales up > 40%)

Lowlights (sales down > 30%)

Photo by Drew Johnson.

Chevrolet has introduced its Gen Six COPO Camaro at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Following in the footsteps of Chevy’s previous COPO Camaros, the Gen Six model is designed for the NHRA’s Stock and Super Stock Eliminator classes.

Based on Chevrolet’s sixth-generation Camaro, the latest COPO model benefits from a chassis that is not stronger and lighter than the model it replaces. The Gen Six COPO also offers better aerodynamics than the Gen Five car.

Under hood buyers will be able to select from three different engines — a supercharged 350 cubic-inch V8, a naturally aspirated 427 V8 and a version of Chevy’s 6.2L LT engine. All three engines come linked to a Turbo 400 three-speed automatic transmission.

Additional racing goodies include wheelie bars, a parachute, racing wheels wrapped in Goodyear rubber, a roll cage, racing bucket seats, racing gauges, solid rear axle, a fuel cell and racing-spec four-wheel disc brakes.

“With the new Gen Six Camaro as its foundation, the 2016 COPO Camaro begins the next chapter of an historic racing legacy,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports.

Chevrolet plans to produce just 69 units of its latest COPO Camaro. Official pricing has not been announced.