TJPark01
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100k-mile test 2009 Genesis 4.6 Car & Driver
The Hyundai Genesis represents a real stretch in brand coverage for Hyundai, one that could almost be seen as on par with Toyota’s launch of Lexus in 1989. Even though Hyundais are competitive—and best in class in some cases, such as interior quality—the automaker is still synonymous with value at the volume end of the market. It was the same with Toyota when it launched its Lexus luxury brand. Now, of course, Toyota has a cast-iron rep for quality and is perceived by many people as making the best family vehicles. The Lexus brand is astutely distanced from Toyota, but has an equally stellar image.
When Hyundai set out to make the first true Korean luxury car for the U.S. market, it didn’t start a new brand, with all the associated dealer and marketing costs, instead choosing to launch the Genesis under the Hyundai umbrella. The Genesis also is the company’s first rear-wheel-drive product offered to American buyers, and it signals Hyundai’s intent to move upmarket in the long term, which is where the profits are in the auto business. (Indeed, it intends to bring its even more luxurious Equus sedan to the U.S., too.)
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The Hyundai Genesis represents a real stretch in brand coverage for Hyundai, one that could almost be seen as on par with Toyota’s launch of Lexus in 1989. Even though Hyundais are competitive—and best in class in some cases, such as interior quality—the automaker is still synonymous with value at the volume end of the market. It was the same with Toyota when it launched its Lexus luxury brand. Now, of course, Toyota has a cast-iron rep for quality and is perceived by many people as making the best family vehicles. The Lexus brand is astutely distanced from Toyota, but has an equally stellar image.
When Hyundai set out to make the first true Korean luxury car for the U.S. market, it didn’t start a new brand, with all the associated dealer and marketing costs, instead choosing to launch the Genesis under the Hyundai umbrella. The Genesis also is the company’s first rear-wheel-drive product offered to American buyers, and it signals Hyundai’s intent to move upmarket in the long term, which is where the profits are in the auto business. (Indeed, it intends to bring its even more luxurious Equus sedan to the U.S., too.)
MORE...
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