Hyundai Think Tank Live Chat with John Krafcik

[Ruissimo]

Hey folks. Just letting our Hyundai Think Tank members on here know that the chat is tomorrow afternoon. I try to never miss these - unfortunately, I am working late tomorrow and will DEFINITELY miss it

Here are the details from the site:

Join us on February 28th at 5pm PT for a live chat with Hyundai's CEO John Krafcik. Chats with John always fill up fast so mark your calendars now!

Live Chats Starts on 02.28.12 at 8:00 pm ET

Do some digging for us!!! Please ask for:

• The timetable for the updated Genesis Sedan (2013? 2014?)
• Whether they're bringing the i40 wagon to the US as a Sonata Wagon (it's awesome) and
• If they've decided on whether or not to develop a Honda Odyssey/Toyota Sienna killer!​

Thanks...

 

[tompass]

I have been accepted to that group but have never participated in the chats. What is the process?

 

[Ruissimo]

Log onto the site. At the designated chat time, go to the Chats page, and click JOIN. Pretty simple, really. I find them to be fun if people shut up and stay focused. Problem is, some folks don't like to stay on topic....

 

[tompass]

Cool.

 

[Ruissimo]

Don't forget to sign on! Starts in 3 minutes!

Wish I could participate. Hopefully someone asks those questions I posted above.

Enjoy!

 

[Ruissimo]

Was anyone on the chat? I asked the admins on there for the transcript, but they said it wasn't available yet....

 

[Ruissimo]

They released the chat transcript. Here are the highlights I came across:

EQUUS

• When asked about an "R Spec Equus", John responded with "Hmmmmm..." and then said, "S-Class AMG... meet Equus R Spec".
• He had a similar reaction when asked about a Hyundai Convertible model
• Next gen Equus will also have AWD - confirmed

GENESIS

• They talked about the redesigned Genesis Coupe, whether the changes were good or not - everyone was a little more positive on the exterior than I had anticipated...
• Genesis Coupe on the lots in March (they said the same thing about the sedan last year, and it was mid to late summer for the most part - my dealer STILL doesn't have any 2012's!)
• They said the next redesign of the Genesis will have AWD. When asked if the sedan would have AWD, John said "SEDAN FOR SURE AWD"
• According to him, "Next Gen Genesis Sedan a way out..." (good news for me, just bought one last week LOL)
• John is still driving a Genesis R Spec as his daily driver - when asked what his favorite Hyundai to drive was... he said "Genesis R Spec sedan, black on black" - I LOVE THIS GUY!

AZERA

• Talked about the redesigned Azera. 29mpg highway, ultra-competitive in the market, etc.
• Hyundai Circle pricing on Azera will be slow to roll out due to shortage of volume initially

VELOSTER

• John asked if Hyundai should do a Veloster R Spec. What do you think the answers were? LOL
• VT in showrooms in the summer
• (TOP SECRET) VT will start at $22,000 - includes std leather, heated seats, 18" wheels, led taillights, headlights accents, 450 watt dimension audio, push-button start

ELANTRA GT

• Lots of talk about the Elantra GT, and how every family type will be able to buy an Elantra to fit their needs (GT, Sedan, Coupe, 5-door)
• No plans for a turbo in the GT

BLUE LINK

• Blue Link remote start STILL not available - they're working on it and "feel really bad they're so late with it, but they want to get it right"

OTHER

• No plans for a new plant in the US (officially) - when someone said, "John is waiting for approval from Korea" he responded with "No comment"
• Someone brought up Tesla, and John said, "Tesla needs a lifetime warranty on their electric/hybrid batteries, like we have" - good to see that's here to stay
• NY Auto Show debut for 2013 Santa Fe confirmed - that chrome grill is in fact REAL. He confirmed it has "a bit of bling" and "looks great in person, trust me" and that it is "stronger and more masculine than the current gen" - FYI, that grill screams Ford Edge to me... I guess we'll have to take him at his word
• No plans for a Luxury Division
• May hold a Think tank reception at the NYAS - yay!
• No plans for a minivan...
• Gadgets: Cooled seats will be a focus going forward. Lexicon is here to stay (at least in the Genesis and Equus). And they're "big fans of Pandora..." - I took that to mean full integration with Blue Link (eventually), but that's just me

==========

That's about all I got from it. Some new info, but not much.

 

[ilovemygenesis]

They released the chat transcript. Here are the highlights I came across:

EQUUS

• When asked about an "R Spec Equus", John responded with "Hmmmmm..." and then said, "S-Class AMG... meet Equus R Spec".
• He had a similar reaction when asked about a Hyundai Convertible model
• Next gen Equus will also have AWD - confirmed

GENESIS

• They talked about the redesigned Genesis Coupe, whether the changes were good or not - everyone was a little more positive on the exterior than I had anticipated...
• Genesis Coupe on the lots in March (they said the same thing about the sedan last year, and it was mid to late summer for the most part - my dealer STILL doesn't have any 2012's!)
• They said the next redesign of the Genesis will have AWD. When asked if the sedan would have AWD, John said "SEDAN FOR SURE AWD"
• According to him, "Next Gen Genesis Sedan a way out..." (good news for me, just bought one last week LOL)
• John is still driving a Genesis R Spec as his daily driver - when asked what his favorite Hyundai to drive was... he said "Genesis R Spec sedan, black on black" - I LOVE THIS GUY!

AZERA

• Talked about the redesigned Azera. 29mpg highway, ultra-competitive in the market, etc.
• Hyundai Circle pricing on Azera will be slow to roll out due to shortage of volume initially

VELOSTER

• John asked if Hyundai should do a Veloster R Spec. What do you think the answers were? LOL
• VT in showrooms in the summer
• (TOP SECRET) VT will start at $22,000 - includes std leather, heated seats, 18" wheels, led taillights, headlights accents, 450 watt dimension audio, push-button start

ELANTRA GT

• Lots of talk about the Elantra GT, and how every family type will be able to buy an Elantra to fit their needs (GT, Sedan, Coupe, 5-door)
• No plans for a turbo in the GT

BLUE LINK

• Blue Link remote start STILL not available - they're working on it and "feel really bad they're so late with it, but they want to get it right"

OTHER

• No plans for a new plant in the US (officially) - when someone said, "John is waiting for approval from Korea" he responded with "No comment"
• Someone brought up Tesla, and John said, "Tesla needs a lifetime warranty on their electric/hybrid batteries, like we have" - good to see that's here to stay
• NY Auto Show debut for 2013 Santa Fe confirmed - that chrome grill is in fact REAL. He confirmed it has "a bit of bling" and "looks great in person, trust me" and that it is "stronger and more masculine than the current gen" - FYI, that grill screams Ford Edge to me... I guess we'll have to take him at his word
• No plans for a Luxury Division
• May hold a Think tank reception at the NYAS - yay!
• No plans for a minivan...
• Gadgets: Cooled seats will be a focus going forward. Lexicon is here to stay (at least in the Genesis and Equus). And they're "big fans of Pandora..." - I took that to mean full integration with Blue Link (eventually), but that's just me

==========

That's about all I got from it. Some new info, but not much.

When do they plan to redesign the Genesis and include the AWD? I was going to wait but i think i'll just lease the 2012 once my lease is up next month. How about a luxury SUV, any plans?

 

[tompass]

Wanted to participate but had last minute change in schedule. Anyway, thanks for posting the important takeaways.

 

[Ruissimo]

They're not telling anyone. But based on that webchat, I took "next gen Genesis sedan a way out" to mean at least 2013. So... a year and half, maybe two years out?

If they are calling this a mid-cycle refresh, it would probably mean 2014 or 2015, wouldn't it?

My guess is it will come out in early or late 2013 as a 2014 model. JUST A GUESS THOUGH!

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[2012blackgenny]

My guess for Sedan upgrade is 2014 MY or 2015 MY. But I think a interior refresh is coming due to blue link and the midlife exterior refresh that occured in 2012.

I think pricing will continue to creep up a few thousand each year, with the base becoming like 40k ish when the new upgrade is avaliable.

Toyota does like 6 year cycles with 3 year refreshes, I think Hyundai might do it similarly but maybe 1 year faster.