2011 4.6 to a 2013 3.8

[raw6464]

I traded my 2011 4.6 for a 2013 3.8 with both accessory package and I have to say Hyundai spent a lot of time improving the quality feel, improve riding and make it an all around better car. They took off all the harshness and made the car the feel of an upscale luxury car... kudos to Hyundai.

Let me take the opportunity to beg Hyundai to TAKE THE H OFF all Genesis and Equus cars. If no "Genesis Division" at least make a Genesis/Equus sales and service "separations" at the dealers level.

While buying my new Genesis there was a $60K Equus on the showroom floor with a "H" on the trunk. What came to mind was "what a shame"... they just put a stake in the heart of this car. The folks with BMW/Mercedes/Lexus money will never buy this car. The "Volkswagon" badge killed the $80K Volkswagon and will kill the Equus just the same.

I hear Hyundai has created a bunch of "upscale managers" nationwide to try to find out why the Genesis/Equus cars are not selling in some areas. I think Hyundai would better themselves if they took the H off and fired all the managers who insist the H must go on. Hyundai cars are not seen with prestige cars by the BMW/Mercedes crowd and never will. The sooner Hyundai "gets it" the sooner they can sell more upscale cars.
Edit/Delete Message

 

[Vermillion3]

Agreed! One they need to promo the Genesis as much or equal to their other lines. I remember one dedicated commercial for the Genny in 09 other than that nothing....I have seen one Equus commercial played over and over on History Channels show Top Shot and all I took away from it was that the Equus costs $743 for 48 months...... not good. The ads for these cars need to accentuate the performance and level of options that you get. Show the bells and whistles, flaunt what you got and what you get if you buy one of these rides!

It takes money to make money and if Hyundai is going to steal some BMW/Lexus/Merc/Infinity etc.. customers then they need too not only look the part, but act better than those dealers. So its too expensive to build brand specific dealerships, then start adding wings(no pun intended) to existing dealerships. Make the customer feel like they special, like they bought a Rolls Royce, go above and beyond anyone's expectations with Killer CS. Do not treat customers like it is a business(remember we are spending money here) at least till you get a customer base ;-) spare no expense! Hyundai in addition to these great rides must provide CS excellence in order to get that upper echelon clientele going; as apparently having a comparable car at a lower price is not getting the job done. Phrases like "they all do that" and any other placating phase should be eradicated at all costs. The folks staffing these dealerships on both sales and service side should be head and shoulders above the rest. It must be on par with a 50's gas station no joke.

Hyundai MUST do this in order to shirk the low end perception hole they are in to include canning the flying H on the rides. Anything short of the effort mentioned above is simply the whining of a entity who wants all the benefits of the good life but does not want to put in the work that is required to achieve it.


It may sound elitist but I as a Genesis owner I do not wish to sit on hard plastic orange chairs in a crappy waiting room with the rest of the Hyundai owners bottom line; no other luxury car owners do so why should we? I bought my Genny at a Lexus dealership in Cleveland and the waiting room rivaled my living room to include two leather couches, glass coffee table, fireplace, flat panel TV free coffee, fruit, soft drinks, Wifi, news paper, very nice. Every dealership I have been too with my Genny in the Cincinnati area the waiting rooms look like some 90's airport terminal. Hard plastic chairs and vending machines with drop ceilings. No where near a premium experience. What does it mean to me as a Genesis driver it reminds me every time I have any dealership interaction that I bought a Hyundai not a Genesis or Equus.

I am a firm believer that it is the the main reason why Hyundai will pick up your Equus and drop it off at your house or business; as they do not want someone who has paid all that money for an Equus to lay eyes on a Hyundai dealership.

The dealerships and CS reps are what are holding this line back; and in order to give it a fair shot their game MUST be raised. Until Hyundai puts forth this effort the Genesis and Equus lines are destined to mediocrity. IMHO

 

[WowCool]

"I second that emotion"................

Upscale/HighEnd means the whole experience:- Showroom, Test Drive, Restrooms, Waiting Area, Service Writers, Service Technicians...
shall I go On.........

The Genesis & Equus ranges are great vehicles,
they are NOT just expensive Sonata's.. Treat us right or MB/Lexus/BMW will draw your customers if only for the upscale/high-end experience..

Why not run a competition to design a NEW (H) badge? Remove the H from the center of the Trunk..
I suggest (H)Genesis -- positioned where the current "G: badge lives..

 

[homeofstone]

to O.P. Since you traded to a 2013 does it bother you that the car has less chrome trim and fake exhaust pipes in the bumper. I just cannot get use to the silver door handles, silver door trim etc. I like the chrome on the 2011.

 

[PMCErnie]

This poster says he looked over the 2015 Genesis in-person at a focus group and that it was outfiited with wings with an "H" in the midde.

http://www.genesisowners.com/hyundai-genesis-forum/showthread.php?t=11553

 

[pilotdane]

I agree with everything said so far. My Genesis sits next to a Lexus in the garage at home. The support and hospitality provided by the dealer where I took my Genesis to have a parking sensor replaced was great but what a different experience compared to visiting the Lexus dealer. Both cars are similarly priced but it really shows the difference. The Hyundai experience was as I would expect vising a Toyota dealership. Going to Lexus is a very different experience.

---
This morning my wife called me to say she heard a horrible scraping grinding sound when driving so she returned home and took another car to work. She called the Lexus dealer and she explained her busy work schedule this week and that she did not know if the car should be driven to the dealership (45 miles away) or taken on a roll back. They then offered to have a service person drive a loaner up to our house in BFE, evaluate her car and take care of getting it back to the dealership for repair one way or another. Her car is 7 years old and 30k miles out of warranty and they still go to that extent to take care of the customer. That is what Hyundai is up against.

 

[stuofsci02]

I agree that the Hyundai "H" needs to go. I rebadged mine right away.

I will go against the grain on the service though. The reason I bought my Genesis is because it is a good car the is very comfortable and has similar features as much more expensive luxury cars. The key though, is that is was much cheaper then other "luxury brands" with similar specs/features..

I was looking for a car in Maxima territory price that offered a comfortable ride and a bit of style. While I can afford a more expensive car, I don't care about badge and I am not interested in forking over a ton of money on a fancy car. The Genesis let me get a nicer car without spending the extra cash.

I don't expect to spend a lot of time at the dealer and I don't want to pay an extra $5k-$10k so I can sit on a couch and sip a latte.

 

[427435]

I'm another that doesn't need a latte when my car is being serviced. Wifi and a comfortable chair is fine. My dealer sells Chrysler products also and his customer service is fine but not fancy. You've got to remember, someone pays for the "fancy" and that someone is you.

 

[WowCool]

Some excellent points have been offered......Maybe I say Maybe we the public are expecting a little too much of a high end vehicle experience!!
Oh, it is a high end vehicle.......back to the red plastic chair & a small cup of lukewarm water...while the dealer cashes my $60k check

 

[Mark_888]

The subject about selling the Genesis as a Hyundai brand or Genesis brand in the US has been discussed many times before. In Korea, it is sold as a Genesis brand, and model is BH380, etc. That is why we can get the KDM badges imported from Korea.

In the US, they decided to import the Genesis under the Hyundai brand name in order to build the Hyundai brand perception with the public. It would defeat their stated purpose to use the Genesis to build the Hyundai brand perception, if they did not sell the Genesis under the Hyundai brand.

Hyundai still has a quality perception problem dating back to the disastrous days in the 1980's and 1990's when they first started selling cars in the US. There are still an amazing number of people who will not test drive a Sonata, but will look at other cars in the same class such as Camry and Accord. This is the problem they are trying to overcome, and why they want to use Genesis and Equus to "build the brand" in the US.

All of this comes straight from John Krafcek, CEO of Hyundai Motor America, who has participated in several online chat sessions on the Hyundai Think Tank website. Whether or not Krafcek is making the correct decision on this may be debatable, although he has a pretty good track record with Hyundai and was recently named as Automobile Exec of the Year.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130621/AUTO0104/306210105

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[Vermillion3]

Every brand has its haters for some indiscretions or runs of poor quality in the past, foreign or domestic and those folks who chose to hold onto those views will most likely never change. The bulk of the masses that are looking to purchase automobiles today could care less what happened 40, 30, to 20 years ago for many that's before their time. All they know is that Hyundai is not on the same level as BMW/Lexus/etc etc... bottom line.

The fact that Hyundai has decided to push the Genesis /Equus line with the Hyundai brand name in an attempt to bolster the brand is a mistake plain and simple; and it is proving to be so in the lack luster sales numbers sense the lines launch. I understand that John Krafcek is a accomplished captain of industry and all but that does not make him immune to backing bad choices. If you are going to sell a top shelf steak dinner then you can not sell it out of a Waffle House style of restaurant and expect to attract the same folks that you would see at an upscale steak house.

John should know that the world operates not on reality but the perception of reality. True no one needs the nicer dealerships but if that is the case then why do any of these dealerships exist? Why not just save the money and sell your upper scale cars out of the standard dealership under the main manufacture brand?

 

[thebells]

Hey OP,

Congrats on the new purchase....Can you please comment on the performance of the 4.6 versus the GDI 3.8 in your opinion. Do you notice any real difference and if so, where is it most obvious?

Thanks

 

[Mark_888]

Every brand has its haters for some indiscretions or runs of poor quality in the past, foreign or domestic and those folks who chose to hold onto those views will most likely never change. The bulk of the masses that are looking to purchase automobiles today could care less what happened 40, 30, to 20 years ago for many that's before their time. All they know is that Hyundai is not on the same level as BMW/Lexus/etc etc... bottom line.

The fact that Hyundai has decided to push the Genesis /Equus line with the Hyundai brand name in an attempt to bolster the brand is a mistake plain and simple; and it is proving to be so in the lack luster sales numbers sense the lines launch. I understand that John Krafcek is a accomplished captain of industry and all but that does not make him immune to backing bad choices. If you are going to sell a top shelf steak dinner then you can not sell it out of a Waffle House style of restaurant and expect to attract the same folks that you would see at an upscale steak house.

John should know that the world operates not on reality but the perception of reality. True no one needs the nicer dealerships but if that is the case then why do any of these dealerships exist? Why not just save the money and sell your upper scale cars out of the standard dealership under the main manufacture brand?

Dealerships are owned by independent business people, not the auto manufacturers. Those fancy Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura dealerships exist because they were created before the 2008 financial crisis. It would be hard to find people these days who are willing to invest $5+ million to start a separate Genesis/Equus dealership, and harder still for someone to get a bank to help them finance it.

Then there is the issue of unit pricing. Hyundai would have to raise the pricing and dealers would not discount much (they have to make higher margins because sales volume per dealer is lower--you can see this with difference in discounting on a Lexus ES vs Toyota Avalon, etc), so the net cost to consumers would be at least $5K more than current prices of a Genesis or Equus. At that point, you are going to start loosing sales to other brands, and offset any advantage of having a separate luxury brand. So it is not clear that sales would increase with fancier dealerships if the net price to the consumer was $5K higher than it would be selling it at an existing Hyundai dealer (or maybe even more).

The real question is can they create a new Genesis/Equus brand and sell them at existing Hyundai dealerships? Not sure it would make a huge difference since it easy to rebadge a Genesis now with KDM wings. But this is probably a strategy they are considering.

The bottom line is that Hyundai is willing to live with reduced Genesis/Equus sales, if they think they can increase Sonata, Elantra, etc sales by building the brand. I don't know if they are right, but if a new Genesis cost me $5K more than does now just because it was purchased at a separate dealer network, I personally would probably purchase a different brand.

 

[WowCool]

Hi, I think referring to the Lexus/BMW/MB brands and some of the other true high end manufacturers they offer a complete high value ownership package.
Hyundai are offering an excellent range but it is NOT in real high end country.
Different world markets see things differently, here in the USA we have our own idiosyncratic way of seeing things.. My best suggestion is to buy a used Genesis or Equus from a Lexus or other high end dealership then you get everything..(high end surroundings/good seating/nice coffee/inherent good service) - Single specific dealerships take years to give a return on investment,
I doubt "H" would increase sales enough of the Equui or Genesi to warrant this huge expenditure.. And of course the prices would increase...
So it's back to the good old value as against name story!!

Let's hope that "H" spend some time & money on the existing quirks that are both irksome & at times can be dangerous.. i.e. engine/gearbox falling flat..

 

[Vermillion3]

All good points gents; and it would seem that Hyundai despite not being happy with E&G sales are content for now to let them be what they are.

Until Hyundai as a company is willing to spend money, yes I said spend money on the brand to make it what they want it to be; it will not be as great as it could be. There is a reason that every major auto manufacture has separate dealerships for their high end rides. Name another manufacture that is trying what Hyundai is trying to do?

 

[Mark_888]

All good points gents; and it would seem that Hyundai despite not being happy with E&G sales are content for now to let them be what they are.

Until Hyundai as a company is willing to spend money, yes I said spend money on the brand to make it what they want it to be; it will not be as great as it could be. There is a reason that every major auto manufacture has separate dealerships for their high end rides. Name another manufacture that is trying what Hyundai is trying to do?

As I mentioned, it is not the auto manufacturer who creates a new dealership, it is an independent company or investor.

Would you be willing to invest in a new dedicated Genesis/Equus dealership?

 

[Mark_888]

Let's hope that "H" spend some time & money on the existing quirks that are both irksome & at times can be dangerous.. i.e. engine/gearbox falling flat..

I would be happy if they just fixed the brake failure and brake light failure problem before it actually happens (as it seems to happen to a very large number of owners eventually). I guess they figure if the brakes fail, we don't need brake lights.

 

[Vermillion3]

As I mentioned, it is not the auto manufacturer who creates a new dealership, it is an independent company or investor.

Would you be willing to invest in a new dedicated Genesis/Equus dealership?

If I had the means ABSOLUTELY! As an owner of a Genny I would run that ship how it should be run and it would be top shelf; but the manufacturer has to sign off and back your venture. You act like Hyundai is offering G&E dealerships but no one wants to buy one and that is just not the case.

 

[stuofsci02]

If I had the means ABSOLUTELY! As an owner of a Genny I would run that ship how it should be run and it would be top shelf; but the manufacturer has to sign off and back your venture. You act like Hyundai is offering G&E dealerships but no one wants to buy one and that is just not the case.

I think it is important to remember.. There are only two Hyundai Vehicles that would at this time be included in that brand (Genesis and Equus). This is likely not enough to warrant a new brand.

If the Genesis/Equus were priced like the other brands in order to cover the costs of the new dealership you are now competing with those established brands without the advantage of lower price.

Just because most every other brand splits their premium line does not mean it is without question the right thing to do.. And even so there are others who do the same:

Caddillac/Chevrolet
Ford/Lincoln

I think it is important for Hyundai first to prove that they can make an upscale car and attract people who are looking for a nice car, but do not car about brand and are interested in value..

 

[Mark_888]

If I had the means ABSOLUTELY! As an owner of a Genny I would run that ship how it should be run and it would be top shelf; but the manufacturer has to sign off and back your venture. You act like Hyundai is offering G&E dealerships but no one wants to buy one and that is just not the case.

Hyundai currently has about 800 dealers in the US. In order to offer a new brand with a separate dealer network they would have to get at least 150 dealers who were willing to invest at least $5 million (land, building, inventory, working capital, etc) to start a dealership. Hyundai is not going to create a separate brand until they know there are 150 dealers ready to sign on. Lexus has 230 dealers in the US, Acura has 270, and Infiniti has about 200 dealers.

When you say "If I had the means ABSOLUTELY" do you mean if you were filthy rich and had money to burn? But if you had a total net worth of $5 million, would you be willing to invest it all and risk being bankrupt if it didn't work out? Running a car dealership is a business, and people don't invest in that unless they are pretty sure they can make a profit.