Hyundai Equus: Is real luxury the car or the brand?

[jwaters943]

Enjoy!

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22O5QnSLdeE&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube- MotoMan - What Is Luxury?[/nomedia]

I'm personally quite glad Hyundai decided to change the grille and hood emblem on the North American spec Equus.

 

[ImInPA]

In my opinion, I believe that many folks confuse Luxury and Status. While virtually all "status" items convey a luxury, not all luxuries convey status. The brand, Hyundai, has luxury items (Genesis and Eqqus), but, they do not convey the status of say, Mercedes Benz. One could easily argue the Hyundais are just as luxurios as MB's, Lexus, etc., but you would be hard pressed to say that Hyundai has the status of the other marks.

 

[jwaters943]

Very eloquently summed up! That's pretty much just how I feel, but far better than I could have worded it.

 

[Sayantsi]

Yes, I spend 99% of my time in my car, not in my car's dealership, so if a car comes along that can offer luxury for less money by cutting out nonessentials like "dealership experience", I'm sold (literally). Luxury doesn't have to be expensive - even Audi, BMW and M-B sell sub-$30k cars.

I also agree on the status comment above. Some people want to buy status. I think that's one of the biggest reasons the VW Phaeton failed so miserably - who wants to buy a VW when they could buy an almost identical car with the Audi badging on it? There was some technical allure to the W engine, but realistically, it was not an attractive option for buyers and that proved out in history.

If you want a status symbol, you will be drawn to those makes that have that reputation and that nurture it. If you want luxury, a discerning eye can find it in many places, not just in status symbols.

 

[ConceptVBS]

Great video

 

[DavidNJ]

There is a lot more to a brand than that author understands. Yes, an established brand can often command a premium. But that is because the brand has been established to offer a value for that premium.

The author could have miss used no example more than the mustard he used. There is a huge difference in the quality of ingredients than in mustards. If you doubt that, a typical mid-range supermarket (A&P, Kings, Shopright, Stop&Shop) will have over a dozen different brands and variations. Try a few.

There is no guarantee that the most expensive will be the best. But it rarely is the worst. It is extremely rare that the store brand is the best; there were compromises made to make the price point.

The same is true for more engineered products. Sometimes an illustrious brand falls short; by the early 1990s Ferrari's were inferior to some Nissan's and Toyotas. However that has changed.

There are areas of fit and finish on the Equus that could use some work. We have discussed in other threads engine and driveline features such as direct injection, variable valve lift, 8 speed transmissions, and AWD. Mercedes and BMW now offer features like night vision and some of the other features are maybe a bit more refined.

Which is not to say the Equus and Genesis aren't excellent cars. But ask yourself, if an equivalently equipped S-class, 7-Series, A8, XJ, or even LS480 was the same price (and even sold as the same brand) as an Equus, would YOU pick the Equus?

 

[Dimitry]

Nice Video

I would of personally preferred the more striking and aggressive looking vertical grill and ornament. I would be rebadging that if and when I get an Equus!

 

[dond13]

Nice Video

I would of personally preferred the more striking and aggressive looking vertical grill and ornament. I would be rebadging that if and when I get an Equus!

Personal preference is what it's all about. I didn't like the appearance of the Equus until they changed the grill to horizontal. Strange how different people see things.

 

[jwaters943]

Which is not to say the Equus and Genesis aren't excellent cars. But ask yourself, if an equivalently equipped S-class, 7-Series, A8, XJ, or even LS480 was the same price (and even sold as the same brand) as an Equus, would YOU pick the Equus?

Of course not. But they're not the same price. And the same could be argued for the Lexus LS. Even today, most buyers would not pay S-Class money for a Lexus LS, no matter how good. Hyundai needs to maintain a value advantage while offering 90% of the feature content and driving experience as it's luxury competition. It's the only way to get a foot in the door. No one is going to pay the S-Class money for a unknown/unproven vehicle with no heritage, I don't care how good the car is.

 

[DavidNJ]

Which is my point. Regardless of brand you would pick an S-class over an Equus at the same price. The video's point that brand is over-rated was the wrong approach.

Note: until someone does a comparison test, we really won't have a good basis. The car seems nice enough, what we need are some objective back-to-back comparisons.

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[jwaters943]

How is it the wrong approach? I think that is how many people here feel. To me, a badge is overrated. Why spend $20k-40k more for a car that is maybe 10% better? As I said, I would not take an Equus over an S-Class if they cost the same. I would gladly take an Equus over an S-Class if the Equus saved me money and delivered 90% of the driving experience.

They can keep the badge and the slightly nicer car and I'll keep the change.

 

[DavidNJ]

That is the two things that become the crux of the issue: net of resale/lease, what is the cost difference? And, of course, how does it stack up.

I imagine you would want it to be higher on the benefit/cost curve over 90% of the benefit for 90% of the price.

 

[ilovemygenesis]

How is it the wrong approach? I think that is how many people here feel. To me, a badge is overrated. Why spend $20k-40k more for a car that is maybe 10% better? As I said, I would not take an Equus over an S-Class if they cost the same. I would gladly take an Equus over an S-Class if the Equus saved me money and delivered 90% of the driving experience.

They can keep the badge and the slightly nicer car and I'll keep the change.

How can you say that? If the badging was overrated then why did you get them on your car? Not trying to call you out, just saying it's important. You probably didn't want to show your 'Hyundai' badge because of the image Hyundai evokes, but you like the 'Genesis' badge because it has a different connotation behind it (specifically, it looks like a Bentley badge).

I love this video and i think that Hyundai should run marketing based on this video's premise, i think it is an excellent way to penetrate the current market especially given the economic climate we're in.

 

[DavidNJ]

What is the purpose of changing a badge, it doesn't change the car and won't impress someone who has a car with the other badge.

Nissan and Toyota created separate brands. Ford and GM had that with their Lincoln and Cadillac brands. Chrysler tried for a while with their Imperial brand, but then diminished it in the late 70, early 80s. Audi is really just an upscale VW brand.

To me the video was condescending and attempting to be deceptive. If it had an impact it would have been to diminish the image of the brand by calling its ethics into question.

 

[jwaters943]

How can you say that? If the badging was overrated then why did you get them on your car? Not trying to call you out, just saying it's important. You probably didn't want to show your 'Hyundai' badge because of the image Hyundai evokes, but you like the 'Genesis' badge because it has a different connotation behind it (specifically, it looks like a Bentley badge).

I love this video and i think that Hyundai should run marketing based on this video's premise, i think it is an excellent way to penetrate the current market especially given the economic climate we're in.

I did not get it because it looks like a Bentley badge. In fact, I think it looks more like an Aston Martin emblem, but whatever.

I put the wing emblems on because A) I don't like the look of Hyundai's emblem. It's really just a aesthetic preference thing. I think they should redo their emblem, and not because of any negative connotations people have w/ the brand, simply because it looks very 80s to me. And B) Because the front of the car looked too empty/spartan. It looked like one of those cars you see in tire ads where they remove the manufacturers emblem.

These are the emblems that come on the car in Korea, and IMO, they should have come that way here too. It's not like I'm being disingenuous or deceiving by putting an emblem from another more prestigious automaker on my car (I have seen actual Bentley emblems on the Chrysler 300...lol). Giving certain cars special badging is nothing new. Just look at the Corvette. It's not that people are ashamed it's a Chevy, it's just that it's a special car in relation to the rest of the automakers Chevy branded lineup and it deserves special badging IMO.

In any case, I think we are confusing things a bit here. My point was that I find that paying a hefty premium for a brand name is silly if you can get a similar item for significantly less. Call me cheap.

 

[blasterguam]

Excellent video. I think it pretty much hits the nail on the head.

BTW - when at our dealer a couple of days ago he stated that they were going to become an Equus dealer. The dealer has to have an Equus-only showroom. (Yes, you heard that right...not Genesis and Equus, but Equus-only). He confirmed the iPad with the car and the upscale service area. Interesting.

 

[jwaters943]

What is the purpose of changing a badge, it doesn't change the car and won't impress someone who has a car with the other badge.

Nissan and Toyota created separate brands. Ford and GM had that with their Lincoln and Cadillac brands. Chrysler tried for a while with their Imperial brand, but then diminished it in the late 70, early 80s. Audi is really just an upscale VW brand.

To me the video was condescending and attempting to be deceptive. If it had an impact it would have been to diminish the image of the brand by calling its ethics into question.

I don't know, what's the purpose of changing your wheels or tinting your windows or installing a spoiler on your car? People like to customize their car. Many cars throughout history have had special badging. American cars in particular (Corvette, Impala, Riveria). The Genesis badge was created as a artistic representation or symbol of a new era within the company taking flight. I read about it somewhere, but I can't find the source at the moment.

And how is the video condescending? Honestly, I didn't get that impression at all. He's basically just saying a good car, is a good car, is a good car. It doesn't matter who makes it.

 

[jwaters943]

Excellent video. I think it pretty much hits the nail on the head.

BTW - when at our dealer a couple of days ago he stated that they were going to become an Equus dealer. The dealer has to have an Equus-only showroom. (Yes, you heard that right...not Genesis and Equus, but Equus-only). He confirmed the iPad with the car and the upscale service area. Interesting.

Yes, Hyundai has established a fairly strict set of rules for Equus dealers.

-Equus only showroom
-Dealers will deliver car to you and go over the features at time of purchase
-iPad owners manual w/ an app to keep track of service and schedule appointments
-Guaranteed Genesis or Equus loaner anytime your car is in the shop (they will pick up/deliver car to your home or work)

Now if only some of that would trickle down to us lowly Genesis owners.

 

[ajls09873]

informative and fun review.

 

[ajls09873]

Luxury buyers buy brand status. (brand image)
Even if Equus is technically better machine than their target, "I bought Mercedes" is still sound better than "I bought a Hyundai".
I don't think Equus will be a volume seller.
But, I think Equus will be another good experience for hyundai.