Hyundai's customizers crank up the horsepower

LAS VEGAS — Sure, Chrysler will boast that its Challenger Hellcat muscle car cranks out 707 horsepower. But one of Hyundai's customizers for this year's SEMA aftermarket parts show beat the Hellcat's horsepower rating — by a single pony.

The result is the most powerful Sonata sedan in history, according Hyundai. Bisimoto Engineering accomplished the goal by turning the sedate family car into a 708-horsepower monster. (Bisimoto, more modestly, only says it has 700-plus horsepower.)

But when it came to sheer power at the just-concluded trade show here, it's hard to beat the tuners at Blood Type Racing in Chicago, who reworked a Genesis Coupe and its 2-liter engine to get it to produce almost 1,000 horsepower. To hold it to the ground, the crew added a front bumper lip spoiler and a GT wing.

Those were just two of the customizers who took a crack at the Hyundais. The brand's officials sounded pleased.

"Every year we invite some of the biggest names in the aftermarket tuning community to build some of the most exciting vehicles at SEMA," said Mike O'Brien, a Hyundai vice president. "We wanted this year's builders to develop performance and luxury in tandem, and from what you see from our lineup of vehicles, they have exceeded our goals on every measure."