They could have rebadged something
But again….not sure any of this matters if they don't have something that US buyers want to buy
The Korean market has zero to do with buyers in the United States
Geeze, this is like having a redux with Mark...
First off, Genesis has no interest in hurriedly rebadging something, just to have something to offer (doesn't mean that it would sell).
Doing so would only damage the brand (better to not do something half-arsed).
Genesis has no intentions of competing w/ the NX, RX, MDX, RDX, MKC, MKX, XT5, etc. - for the
value shoppers in the luxury CUV segment.
W/ the new Santa Fe going more upscale, the SX-L trim of the
Sorento and the upcoming
Palisade and
Telluride CUVs from H/K (which will be more luxurious than the Santa Fe and
Sorento), there isn't much room for a Genesis version.
And as stated before, if Genesis had gone ahead w/ a rebadged version of the old Santa Fe Sport, it runs into the same problem that Lexus and Acura (and nowadays
Infiniti) have run into - the
mainstream brand getting the newer platform and/or powertrains
first (such as the Civic in comparison to the ILX or the Camry in comparison to the ES).
So a Genesis version of the old Santa Fe Sport would be bettered in many ways by the new Santa Fe.
For something who talks so much about
luxury and brand
cachet, one would think you would have considered such variables.
By eschewing the cheaper FWD route for its CUVs, don't be surprised if going forward, Genesis is more oft to be compared to BMW and MB than any of the Japanese.
And again, no one is saying that the Korean market has anything to do w/ the US one.
The Equus was developed for the Korean market. Originally, there was no intention of bringing it over to the US.
But after the (relative) success of the Genesis sedan, Hyundai thought - heck, why not showcase the Equus at various dealerships and gauge the interest and if there is enough, ready it for import.
Again, when the Genesis brand was launched in 2016, the 1st 2 models to get greenlit were the GV80 and GV70 CUVs.
You do realize that there is ample inventory of 2017 G80's still sitting on dealers lots right?...and that they are actually selling at numbers fewer than the Hyundai Genesis was
According to Autotrader there are
322 new '17MY G80s on the lots.
There are
378 new '17MY of the E Class and
147 of the S Class on the lots.
Also have to keep in mind that due to the G80 being sold at
every Hyundai dealership (of which there are around
900), so only about
1/3rd have a '17MY G80 on the lot (or the equivalent of it).
Can't say that about MB dealerships and the E Class.
Given that Hyundai (not including their 33% ownership of Kia) sold 4.5 million vehicles in 2017, and their sales target was 5.08 million, I would not agree that they are content on just serving their domestic market. They are striving to be a worldwide automaker.
No one is saying that they are
content on just serving their domestic market, but having/building a strong basis in their domestic market is key.
Look at all the damage the Beijing-led boycott on Korean products did to H/K sales in China.
And Drumpf has been talking up placing a
25% import tariff on German autos, if not outright banning them.
Genesis sales are a drop in the bucket of worldwide Hyundai sales. In USA alone, Genesis is about 3% of total Hyundai USA sales in 2017, and Genesis worldwide is a much lower percentage than that of Hyundai worldwide sales of about 4.5 million units.
Worldwide, Genesis is lower b/c it's only currently available in a few markets; Genesis in Korea makes up a considerably higher % of Hyundai sales than in the US, so right now, plays a more important role in how Hyundai fares there.