Ambient Light Question

[Midnightsun]

If the car is in the garage or driveway and you have a breakin, you can also use the horn as a deterrent.

A shotgun works much better.

 

[Alwaysforward]

A shotgun works much better.

I thought you carried a 9mm, shells and a few clips in your trunk

 

[nickpike]

I thought you carried a 9mm, shells and a few clips in your trunk

If only we had the choice.

 

[Seejay]

Why does Hyundai give all the nice stuff to the Europeans? I mean, that overhead light is cool. Soft close doors, etc.

The i30 (Elantra) in Europe is actually a nice car! It has fully independent rear suspension whereas in the US we get a beam axle. Whiskey tango foxtrot.

 

[AustinTX]

Why does Hyundai give all the nice stuff to the Europeans? I mean, that overhead light is cool. Soft close doors, etc.

The i30 (Elantra) in Europe is actually a nice car! It has fully independent rear suspension whereas in the US we get a beam axle. Whiskey tango foxtrot.

It's easy. In Europe (Germany for this example), a Genesis Ultimate 3.8L V6 AWD is € 65,500 (>US$ 72,000). In the US it's >$20,000 less.

Fully loaded Veloster in the US: US$26,135
Fully loaded Veloster in Germany: €31,340 (about US$34,544)

I built a 2016 Audi A6 3.0T quattro on the US website (just north of US$70,000), then built the exact same car on the German Website for a hair under the equivalent of US$100,000 in Euros.

Americans like big and cheap. When I moved here about 20 years ago from Europe, I found that when Americans would talk about a good restaurant, it was mostly because the portions were big. Cars - big. Trucks - big. SUVs - big. Houses - big.

Bigger is better, and cheaper is better in the US.

Most northern Europeans care more about quality than quantity, that's why the stuff there is more expensive, and usually better.

Bottom line, Hyundai will take out features from the Genesis to be able to sell the vehicle at under US$55,000 (Ultimate V6 AWD) to compete on price, because I doubt anyone in the US would pony up more than $70,000 for a loaded Genesis.

Oh, and that i30 in Europe comes standard with a 1.4L 100 HP engine ...

 

[Seejay]

@Austin
What? We can't get something for nothing?

Thanks for the info.

 

[AustinTX]

@Austin
What? We can't get something for nothing?

Thanks for the info.

I'm glad this was helpful. My European friends always complain that vehicles and gas is so much cheaper here. I doubt a regular person would be able to afford to purchase and operate a Genesis in Europe. The gas alone would probably kill that idea quickly.

Most (70-90%) higher end cars in Germany are corporate leases, usually 4 cylinder Diesel engines. Providing a company car has tax benefits for both the employer and employee, so a lot of people opt to get a company car over a little more money.

If you look at the majority of Audi's, BMW's and to an extend Mercedes-Benz vehicles in Europe they come with small (2.0L Turbo Diesel or 1.6-1.8L Turbo gas) engines, manual cloth covered seats and very few options. Most will be debadged to hide the fact that they have the lowliest engine (BMW 3-series with a 1.5L 3 cylinder engine) or that they opted for the top of the line model (you don't want your neighbors to be envious of your big engine loaded car).

My friends cry when they see pricing for an Audi S5, or a BMW M5. These things are serious $$$ in Europe, and operating them at European gas prices requires you to own your own refinery.

My brother owns an Audi RS3 quattro (5 cylinder turbo, 340 or so HP) in Germany - he hits 150 mph on the Autobahn on a regular basis, but tears flow when he pays for a new tank of gas at the pump after 200 miles or less. At these speeds you are lucky to be significantly north of 10 mpg - and at >US$5.00 per gallon, that fun on the Autobahn can easily cost a few hundred dollars for a one day trip. Insurance rates are insane, cost of the vehicles are insane.

Funny thing is, the Europeans are envious of the low prices for cars and gas here, the Americans are envious of the choices and available options in Europe. Building an Audi A4 in Germany is a lengthy process, everything is an option, often with multiple choices for the same item (5 different steering wheels, 7 different kinds of seats, 6 leather colors, and the list goes on and on.). Most cars in Europe are custom ordered, then you wait a few months for the factory to build it. No instant gratification, but you can order exactly what you want, down to almost every details.

Very different markets and circumstances. I actually prefer the US system, because in Europe I'd be driving a small hatchback Diesel - anything else would break the bank unless you have a job that offers a company car. And if you have one of these, be ready for someone to tell you exactly what you may or may not order on your car. Depending on your job title, certain features will be off limits to you, until you reach a higher pay grade that entitles you to "more". It's pretty involved ...

Enjoy your Genesis, I am having a blast with mine so far. Sunroof weather here in Austin!

 

[smirn0ff]

I fully support Austin!!

First, here in EU, very big portion of people are looking the cost of ownership of one vehicle... on first place the fuel is expensive... we are paying in my country something around 4$ for a gallon of regular gas. diesel is a little bit cheaper - something around 3.5$ for a gallon.
in that case when the people are looking in the TCO, they want cars which are with lower fuel consumption.
there are the turbo-diesels coming
also the annual city taxes of the cars are very huge.
the government taxes of the cars are based on horse power. more horse power = greater tax for the government.
so those things are pushing the Europeans to drive smaller cars with small engines. they are not paying much taxes to the government or municipality and they have low fuel consumption. the TCO gets much low.
in my country, 315hp engine and a new car costs me around 800$ per year only for government taxes, after this we have the cost of permanent insurances. after all of this, I must include the fuel consumption of the 3.8 AWD, the maintenance and etc. If I drive a 90hp diesel engine, I would pay around 100$ annual to the government and the insurance will be almost same as money.
Also in Europe there is another issue. the European Committee, is charging every vehicle supplier with a tax which is based on the CO2 emissions.
this means the bigger engines you are selling, bigger taxes you are paying.
That's why 3.8 engine is 20K more expensive than the US, also when you include the VAT which is at least 20% .... the things get bad for the regular people .....

P.S. I forgot to mention that the minimal monthly salary in my country is around 250$, average is around 700$