Hyundai's challenges with the 3rd Generation Genesis (speculation)

[PMCErnie]

Speaking of the Aslan...

http://thekoreancarblog.com/2015/06/02/hyundai-aslan-cuts-the-price-due-to-poor-sales/

Say, what has become of YEH?

 

[Gunkk]

Hyundai's success with the Genesis, like Lexus early on, is with its value proposition: equal or better CAR at a much lower price. But unlike Lexus, due to currency pressure driving down the cost of imports these days, Hyundai cannot yet afford to split out the dealer experience completely. If they try now, they will fail. Probably wise of them to not do it two + years ago, as they would have gotten crushed.

Interesting comments about Acura. My take: their cars are meh; nothing about them is appealing to me. Perhaps that is why their sales lag?

IMO, MB's recent success at the lower end (entry level trim) price points has been entirely currency driven: the Euro is ~20% cheaper than it was a couple years ago, allowing them to dramatically drop prices.

 

[Aquineas]

The new 2016 BMW 7-Series has some carbon fiber, so that is clearly the direction. They have reduced 300 lbs from the 2016 7 series (compared to 2015) with their "Carbon Core" technology.

I think I'd just read about the 7 series (and watched a manufacturing video of it) when I posted this thread originally, so it was definitely on my mind (and hopefully on Hyundai's).

 

[Aquineas]

Called it here:

Hyundai to spin Genesis off to its own luxury brand

 

[ksoze]

...The maker of the Sonata midsize sedan and Santa Fe crossover sport utility vehicle (SUV) plans to launch Genesis as a separate global brand, though the line-up is likely to be sold through the existing Hyundai-brand distribution channel – at least for now, said one of the knowledgeable individuals.

May not see much difference for a while.

Interestingly, the linked Reuters article stated, "...Toyota Motor Corp spent around $5 billion to build its Lexus luxury marque from scratch, and took a decade to break even". Yikes.