What do you want Genesis to do?

[deilenberger]

Coming from BMW and Porsche - the "dealership" experience is somewhat different.

Buying the vehicle was easy, although not the experience I got at BMW and Porsche dealerships, but I have hopes.

Several decades ago - my first BMW dealer purchase was from a dealer who was co-located with a large Chevy dealership. That wasn't unusual. BMW didn't generate the traffic to build out a large stand-alone dealership. But - they made the best of what they had, which I see as missing at the co-located Genesis dealerships.

Unlike the Hyundai/Genesis dealership, the BMW dealer had a separate showroom and service area. That would seem a reasonable first step for many Hyundai dealerships who don't have the money or traffic to build a completely separate facility. The showroom we purchased the GV70 from was noisy, with all hard surfaces, music blaring away and no private spaces (little tables the salespeople used) and the overall impression was a "Sell it.. whatta we gotta do to get you in this car today?" sort of environment.

I'm a bit hard of hearing (not awful, and not hearing aid level yet), and the background noise combined with the blaring music and echos from all the hard surfaces made it difficult to have an intelligent conversation with our salesperson (who happened to be from England and retained some "English accent".)

Dedicate part of the existing dealership to Genesis, wall off a section of the showroom, and offer the niceties that luxury car owners expect (at least a decent coffee bar and a waiting area that doesn't look like the waiting room of a free health clinic.) The BMW dealership setup wasn't extravagant - but it showed they were trying to service the higher-priced vehicle customers in a way that recognized they weren't Chevy customers.

Once Genesis builds a customer base that will justify it, the stand-alone facility could bring them to the same level as Lexus and Infinity. It might take a bit more in the way of offerings to bring them to the level of Porsche (my Porsche dealer currently has several cars priced a bit over a million dollars in the showroom.. but it's a Penske dealership so money isn't an issue.)

 

[RMAC]

When I purchased my 2021 GV80 I traded in a 2018 Audi Q7 Prestige. This was primarily because instead of driving an hour and a half to The Louisville Audi dealer, the Hyundai/Genesis dealer was ten minutes from my house and I was assured a “Stand-Alone“ luxury dealership was going to be built in the next 2-3 years.
Fast forward to Dec 2023; after getting mediocre service in a mediocre dealership (Swope Hyundai-Genesis) for over two years, I get a letter informing me that, effective 01 Jan 2024, they were no longer selling or servicing Genesis vehicles and ‘recommended‘ I contact the Genesis dealer in Louisville for future service; thank you very much.
I assumed from the letter I received that the dealer in Louisville was a ‘Stand-Alone‘ Genesis dealership. I soon found out how wrong I was. I was told they were primarily a Hyundai dealer but ’also’ sold and serviced Genesis. No sales or service techs were specifically Genesis trained. But not to worry; they guaranteed I would get the same ‘quality’ service as their Hyundai customers.…I was also told there were less than a dozen stand-alone Genesis dealers in the nation.
My next car will definitely NOT be a Genesis. They have a decent product and spend a lot of money on marketing but, they apparently never visited a MB, BMW or Audi dealership to see how luxury dealerships follow through and practice what they preach In taking care of their customers.
Never again….

 

[jwmarc]

When I purchased my 2021 GV80 I traded in a 2018 Audi Q7 Prestige. This was primarily because instead of driving an hour and a half to The Louisville Audi dealer, the Hyundai/Genesis dealer was ten minutes from my house and I was assured a “Stand-Alone“ luxury dealership was going to be built in the next 2-3 years.
Fast forward to Dec 2023; after getting mediocre service in a mediocre dealership (Swope Hyundai-Genesis) for over two years, I get a letter informing me that, effective 01 Jan 2024, they were no longer selling or servicing Genesis vehicles and ‘recommended‘ I contact the Genesis dealer in Louisville for future service; thank you very much.
I assumed from the letter I received that the dealer in Louisville was a ‘Stand-Alone‘ Genesis dealership. I soon found out how wrong I was. I was told they were primarily a Hyundai dealer but ’also’ sold and serviced Genesis. No sales or service techs were specifically Genesis trained. But not to worry; they guaranteed I would get the same ‘quality’ service as their Hyundai customers.…I was also told there were less than a dozen stand-alone Genesis dealers in the nation.
My next car will definitely NOT be a Genesis. They have a decent product and spend a lot of money on marketing but, they apparently never visited a MB, BMW or Audi dealership to see how luxury dealerships follow through and practice what they preach In taking care of their customers.
Never again….

I hear you.. but at least you were notified by the dealer... I didn't receive so much as a thank you for having been a customer when trying to set up the service appointment... I requested a call back from the Regional Genesis territory manager to discuss this issue of no notification... It has been a week... Funny I just stopped into another Hyundai dealership to inquire if they were planning to take on the Marque. This dealership has a huge presence in the Metro DC area.. the sales manager said that the owner had no plans because he was selling the hell out of Hyundais and didn't see the need to spend the money for a standalone G dealership... So indeed they are a marketing machine, a beautiful product, but a horrible delivery and support manufacturer.

 

[Husky]

It's no way for Genesis to run a railroad.

 

[jwmarc]

Today I found out that another Hyundai dealer has given up the Genesis brand.. As I live in Delaware I had a location 45 minutes away and the other dealership was 1.25 hours away, I just found out that this other dealer - Hyundai Genesis of New Castle Delaware closed up shop as well.

HEY GENESIS GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!

 

[Jhon]

I am curious as to why these Hyundai dealers are dumping Genesis's. Is it them that want out, or is it the company that wants' them out? Unless there is an issue with the companies unreasonable demands to qualify to carry the Genesis line, I don't know why they would not want to have these cars available for sale in their showrooms.
My dealer sells a ton of them.

 

[jwmarc]

I am curious as to why these Hyundai dealers are dumping Genesis's. Is it them that want out, or is it the company that wants' them out? Unless there is an issue with the companies unreasonable demands to qualify to carry the Genesis line, I don't know why they would not want to have these cars available for sale in their showrooms.
My dealer sells a ton of them.

I have heard they do not want to pay for the required standalone dealership..

 

[deilenberger]

I'm guessing there is some sort of time restraint where a dealer who takes on Genesis has to provide a standalone environment. In a number of cases the dealers are building or converting a stand-alone showroom, and keeping service centralized in the Hyundai dealership. That's not an unreasonable model to use.

Customers bring the car to the showroom where lot-runners take them over to the service department, and the customer leaves in a loaner. When the service is done, the process works in reverse. I've owned some luxury brands (BMW, Lexus) where the dealers started out this way. When the volume justified it they went to entirely stand-alone dealerships. There is one rather large Lexus dealer that we've used that still has this model with a large off-site (lower property taxes than highway property) service facility. The customers never see the facility - they drop the car at the showroom and drive away in a loaner.

The dealership I bought from (Freehold Genesis) has told me they've purchased an office building next to them (1 floor "professional" building) and will be converting that to the Genesis dealership. Right now they're using that parking lot for some of the Genesis inventory (they also have an off-site lot, where ours came from - I drove it back..) It appeared to me they're doing the volume necessary to start the conversion. First step is to make the customer feel they're experiencing a superior experience, based on the showroom and service waiting areas. Can't do that co-existing in a single showroom with Hyundai on one side and Genesis on the other.

My WAG - the dealerships that have folded the Genesis tent didn't do the volume to make it worth doing the conversion so they're going back to just Hyundai. It would be a GOOD THING if Hyundai made all of their dealerships qualified to work on the Genesis - certainly make long cross-country trips like I'm planning a bit less stressful.

 

[jwmarc]

I'm guessing there is some sort of time restraint where a dealer who takes on Genesis has to provide a standalone environment. In a number of cases the dealers are building or converting a stand-alone showroom, and keeping service centralized in the Hyundai dealership. That's not an unreasonable model to use.

Customers bring the car to the showroom where lot-runners take them over to the service department, and the customer leaves in a loaner. When the service is done, the process works in reverse. I've owned some luxury brands (BMW, Lexus) where the dealers started out this way. When the volume justified it they went to entirely stand-alone dealerships. There is one rather large Lexus dealer that we've used that still has this model with a large off-site (lower property taxes than highway property) service facility. The customers never see the facility - they drop the car at the showroom and drive away in a loaner.

The dealership I bought from (Freehold Genesis) has told me they've purchased an office building next to them (1 floor "professional" building) and will be converting that to the Genesis dealership. Right now they're using that parking lot for some of the Genesis inventory (they also have an off-site lot, where ours came from - I drove it back..) It appeared to me they're doing the volume necessary to start the conversion. First step is to make the customer feel they're experiencing a superior experience, based on the showroom and service waiting areas. Can't do that co-existing in a single showroom with Hyundai on one side and Genesis on the other.

My WAG - the dealerships that have folded the Genesis tent didn't do the volume to make it worth doing the conversion so they're going back to just Hyundai. It would be a GOOD THING if Hyundai made all of their dealerships qualified to work on the Genesis - certainly make long cross-country trips like I'm planning a bit less stressful.

I am a BMW 7 series owner and a Porsche 911 owner...My wife gave up her four-year-old X3 for the GV70. I like the car's styling and amenities, but their dealerships are crap. I didn't get a notice from either the dealer or Genesis that the dealer was folding up. That is inexcusable for a wanna-be luxury brand.

 

[George S.]

I am curious as to why these Hyundai dealers are dumping Genesis's. Is it them that want out, or is it the company that wants' them out? Unless there is an issue with the companies unreasonable demands to qualify to carry the Genesis line, I don't know why they would not want to have these cars available for sale in their showrooms.
My dealer sells a ton of them.

Our Hyundai dealership did not believe that the cost for a standalone dealership would pay off. We've lost very many higher paying jobs and this city is now a tourist town. As it is, we don't have many luxury brands available here, such as Lexus, Porsche, Infinity, Jaguar/Range Rover and the likes. Even the BMW, Audi and M-B dealers struggle here.
With that said, I just took my GV70 for its first service about 80 miles away into another state. Their showroom and service department was out of this world. I asked what they had to invest and was told about $12-13 million. I would guess that they are taking a big risk and counting on lots of sales. They started out as a Genesis/Hyundai dealer years ago. If dealers are not willing to build a standalone, Genesis pulls the plug on them. Personally, it is all quite nice, but unnecessary. The buyers will end up paying. I have bought two Genesis' so far and felt that I got fairly good deals (discounted well below sticker). Both were Hyundai dealers selling Genesis. One was a fairly large dealership in Virginia, which no longer sells Genesis, now. I don't know the status of the other near Pittsburgh. I was there 14 months ago and saw no signs of new construction. The dealership that I am taking my vehicles to for the complementary service because it is the closest, had a $2000 markup on their vehicles about a year ago. Thus, I have not bought any vehicles from them yet. That tells me that these standalones will cost you the consumer.

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[EdP]

My WAG - the dealerships that have folded the Genesis tent didn't do the volume to make it worth doing the conversion so they're going back to just Hyundai. It would be a GOOD THING if Hyundai made all of their dealerships qualified to work on the Genesis - certainly make long cross-country trips like I'm planning a bit less stressful.

Won't happen. Two scenarios.
1. You won't let me sell your cars but you expect me to stock thousands of dollars of parts and train techs?
2. You expect me to sell your cars, but you let others make the money servicing my customers?

 

[Backslack]

I am curious as to why these Hyundai dealers are dumping Genesis's. Is it them that want out, or is it the company that wants' them out? Unless there is an issue with the companies unreasonable demands to qualify to carry the Genesis line, I don't know why they would not want to have these cars available for sale in their showrooms.
My dealer sells a ton of them.

It's mutual. Genesis was originally supposed to be limited to 100 bespoke dealerships before the Hyundai dealerships (some 350) themselves sued Hyundai corporate to keep the brand sold under Hyundai dealerships. Hyundai has tried for a long time to "disincentivize" these unwanted dealerships into giving up the brand but it's been an ongoing struggle with many more lawsuits, mainly because most dealerships refuse to spend the money to differentiate Genesis from Hyundai (hence 99% of the complaints in this thread).

Hyundai dealers try to sue Genesis from opening stand-alone facilities.... again

Yep, Hyundai dealerships are that parasitic. Hyundai Making Elite Seller Club For Luxury Line, Dealer Says - Law360 Hyundai Making Elite Seller Club For Luxury Line, Dealer Says By Nadia Dreid Law360 (August 10, 2020, 7:57 PM EDT) -- Hyundai is skirting...

genesisowners.com

It seems what we're seeing now is the original plan coming to fruition, that is Genesis removing the Hyundai dealerships in place of bespoke Genesis dealerships. But of course, it's not going to happen overnight.

 

[Kassey22000]

This seems to have been a titanic mis-calculation on the part of the Hyundai home team and the US GMA group. What is uncertain is if this painfully protracted process will ever lead to Genesis becoming the respected and successful brand Lexus and other’s have spun off. (Anyone been in the market for an Infinity lately?, didn’t think so). Nissan blew it and Hyundai isn’t out of the water by a long shot.
IMHO a massive reshuffling of the GMA management team may bring the focus back, but until this gets sorted, good luck Genesis.

 

[EdP]

This seems to have been a titanic mis-calculation on the part of the Hyundai home team and the US GMA group. What is uncertain is if this painfully protracted process will ever lead to Genesis becoming the respected and successful brand Lexus and other’s have spun off. (Anyone been in the market for an Infinity lately?, didn’t think so). Nissan blew it and Hyundai isn’t out of the water by a long shot.
IMHO a massive reshuffling of the GMA management team may bring the focus back, but until this gets sorted, good luck Genesis.

Genesis was just another model of the Hyundai in the beginning. When they wanted to break it out as a stand alone brand, franchise laws stopped it. I don't think USGMA existed in the beginning.

 

[Backslack]

What is uncertain is if this painfully protracted process will ever lead to Genesis becoming the respected and successful brand Lexus and other’s have spun off.

I sincerely hope Genesis never becomes as complacent as Lexus, who are now more keen to lazily rebadge FWD Toyota offerings while killing/ignoring their true bespoke luxury offerings like the GS and LS. It's a miracle that the LC500 even happened.

 

[deilenberger]

I am a BMW 7 series owner and a Porsche 911 owner...My wife gave up her four-year-old X3 for the GV70. I like the car's styling and amenities, but their dealerships are crap. I didn't get a notice from either the dealer or Genesis that the dealer was folding up. That is inexcusable for a wanna-be luxury brand.

I'm a double Porsche owner (Cayenne Turbo and Boxster) - and the dealerships are very nice but also outrageously expensive. And the price of the cars - along the same line. For giggles, I used the Porsche configurator (their name) to spec out a Cayenne as close to the GS70 Prestige as possible. There were a few things Porsche didn't have, a few things Genesis didn't have - but right down to the colors interior and exterior, I got pretty darn close. Anyway - a Cayenne S (same performance profile) with everything the SV70-Prestige has on it stock was double the price. 2x ! Is it double the car? I own a 2011 Cayenne Turbo (top model when new - about $130k MSRP) - and I can answer that - nope.

Both are very nice cars. The Cayenne will have real leather on the dash top. Looks lovely, PITA to maintain, and when it ages enough starts shrinking and pulling away from the vents (mine hasn't yet, but I'm religious about putting the sunscreen in the windshield when I park.) The Genny - the dash is "pleather" of some sort, a reasonable substitute for the leather, and one I hope will last at least as long. If I wasn't told it wasn't leather I wouldn't have known. The Genny comes with Genesis "services" via the SOS button. Not available in the US for the Porsche. The Porsche comes with 1 year of free service - the Genny - 3 years. Porsche warranty - 4/50,000, Genny 5/60,000, and 7/100k driveline.

So what am I giving up with the Genesis? Well, the lovely receptionist who softly asks me if she can direct me. The expresso machine in the coffee bar. The lunch offerings (sub halves and such - heavy on greens light on meat). The very comfortable chairs in the customer waiting lounge with the full glass wall into the shop - which is SPOTLESS - red tile floors, dozens of lifts, uniformed mechanics. All very nice. And around $250/hour now. A 3-wheel alignment on my Cayenne is a bit over $500. Brake fluid flush (done without removing the rims since all the bleeders are accessible) - $300. Gotta pay for that shop and for the coffee etc. I'm guessing the Porsche dealership sells perhaps 1 car per day - they can survive on that since the Macan pretty much starts at $70,000 (and with seats and heat and other essentials that are options - costs out the door $80-85k) and they make $15,000 PER CAR.

Instead, we'll get the Hyundai experience, with a snack bar and coffee machine (I think the coffee is free) and rows of not-too-comfortable chairs that share armrests and look like the waiting room of a public health clinic.

Is it worth $70,000 for the soft-spoken receptionist and a mucho-grando expresso? And holiday greeting cars and open houses and such?

Dunno. I guess I'm gonna find out.

 

[deilenberger]

I sincerely hope Genesis never becomes as complacent as Lexus, who are now more keen to lazily rebadge FWD Toyota offerings while killing/ignoring their true bespoke luxury offerings like the GS and LS. It's a miracle that the LC500 even happened.

Indeed - we owned one - the RX350. A neighbor bought one the same time we did. It's still in the neighborhood, she sold it to another neighbor when she bought a Toyota SUV of some type that looks like it's a Lexus. At least the Genesis grille and wings make it stand out a bit, and the Hyundai cars don't have the uber-cool headlights/taillights (which is what first brought the SV series to my attention.) Lexus really isn't trying.

Had a friend with an LC500 - he kept that car for about 25 years and 350,000 miles, with basically very little except maintenance. It was a real triumph for Toyota, too bad they didn't continue in that direction, but I guess if you make cars that last that long how many are you gonna sell?

 

[Backslack]

she bought a Toyota SUV of some type that looks like it's a Lexus.

It's getting harder to tell them apart each day.

Had a friend with an LC500 - he kept that car for about 25 years and 350,000 miles, with basically very little except maintenance. It was a real triumph for Toyota, too bad they didn't continue in that direction, but I guess if you make cars that last that long how many are you gonna sell?

Do you mean the SC? The LC500 came out in 2018. And yes, both cars are beauties.

 

[deilenberger]

It's getting harder to tell them apart each day.

That's it. If you stuck a Lexus emblem on the back you'd never know, except the Grand Highlander has a bit more attractive styling in the rear..

 

[jwmarc]

I'm a double Porsche owner (Cayenne Turbo and Boxster) - and the dealerships are very nice but also outrageously expensive. And the price of the cars - along the same line. For giggles, I used the Porsche configurator (their name) to spec out a Cayenne as close to the GS70 Prestige as possible. There were a few things Porsche didn't have, a few things Genesis didn't have - but right down to the colors interior and exterior, I got pretty darn close. Anyway - a Cayenne S (same performance profile) with everything the SV70-Prestige has on it stock was double the price. 2x ! Is it double the car? I own a 2011 Cayenne Turbo (top model when new - about $130k MSRP) - and I can answer that - nope.

Both are very nice cars. The Cayenne will have real leather on the dash top. Looks lovely, PITA to maintain, and when it ages enough starts shrinking and pulling away from the vents (mine hasn't yet, but I'm religious about putting the sunscreen in the windshield when I park.) The Genny - the dash is "pleather" of some sort, a reasonable substitute for the leather, and one I hope will last at least as long. If I wasn't told it wasn't leather I wouldn't have known. The Genny comes with Genesis "services" via the SOS button. Not available in the US for the Porsche. The Porsche comes with 1 year of free service - the Genny - 3 years. Porsche warranty - 4/50,000, Genny 5/60,000, and 7/100k driveline.

So what am I giving up with the Genesis? Well, the lovely receptionist who softly asks me if she can direct me. The expresso machine in the coffee bar. The lunch offerings (sub halves and such - heavy on greens light on meat). The very comfortable chairs in the customer waiting lounge with the full glass wall into the shop - which is SPOTLESS - red tile floors, dozens of lifts, uniformed mechanics. All very nice. And around $250/hour now. A 3-wheel alignment on my Cayenne is a bit over $500. Brake fluid flush (done without removing the rims since all the bleeders are accessible) - $300. Gotta pay for that shop and for the coffee etc. I'm guessing the Porsche dealership sells perhaps 1 car per day - they can survive on that since the Macan pretty much starts at $70,000 (and with seats and heat and other essentials that are options - costs out the door $80-85k) and they make $15,000 PER CAR.

Instead, we'll get the Hyundai experience, with a snack bar and coffee machine (I think the coffee is free) and rows of not-too-comfortable chairs that share armrests and look like the waiting room of a public health clinic.

Is it worth $70,000 for the soft-spoken receptionist and a mucho-grando expresso? And holiday greeting cars and open houses and such?

Dunno. I guess I'm gonna find out.

Yes the costs are high for Lux brand vehicles... But Genesis still lacks the dealer support needed to be even a decent brand... The closing of two Genesis showrooms and service sites within Hyundai dealerships should have been addressed by their corporate offices to those of us who have our vehicles still under warranty.