Tonight's GENESIS Hyundai Think Tank chat with Ricky Lao

[Ruissimo]

Just finished the chat with Ricky Lao on the Genesis.

The first thing I said to him was, "Where's the picture of the next Genesis?" - to which he replied promptly: "no pictures."

Here are a couple of his quotes on the next gen, which he purposely avoided discussing further:

• "It looks great"
• "It's a mid-luxury killer"
• "We have a Detroit concept that hints at the next Genesis"
• "It will be distinctive and aggressive

None of those really tell us anything we didn't already know. The chat focused more on what features we (American customers) want to see in the next gen.

I was excited to see their options for tech - already discussed on these threads (and the Quoris ones).

I was most excited to see their questions around a $3,500 "sport" package. It was decked out with adjustable steering, suspension and transmission options, bigger brakes, sport seats, sport trim inside, custom sport body bumper, upgraded wheels and tires, etc. No idea which of these, if any, will materialize.

All in all, a worthwhile chat, as they usually are.

 

[Mark_888]

Would have been a lot better with Krafcik (CEO), because he has loose lips.

 

[Ruissimo]

Agreed... He has given us great info in the past, on many models.

 

[YEH]

• "It looks great"
• "It's a mid-luxury killer"
• "It will be distinctive and aggressive

I doubt that it will be a "mid-luxury killer" in being drastically better than the competition.

Now, it probably will be competitive w/ the segment (getting a boost in handling and interior) and that combined w/ the undercutting pricing (even w/ the likely significant bump in price) may make it "mid-luxury killer" when it comes to the Japanese and maybe Audi, but I don't think BMW and MB (esp. MB) will be affected as much.

Based on what we can see on the spy shots and the renderings, I wouldn't exactly say distinctive (the front end looks too much like an Audi; esp. since, ironically, Audi has started to utilize the hexagonal shape on their oversized grills) and the greenhouse is a mix of the old Azera, old Infiniti M, among others (kind of a generic C-pillar/rear window panel treatment).

May have a diff. opinion when I see some live shots/video, but right now, I'm a bit underwhelmed.

Hope Hyundai gets the interior/dash design right.

While I think the 2G Genesis will get a pretty nice interior (not quite up to the level of the Quoris, but competitive for the segment), I hoping for an aesthetic pleasing and modern looking dash design (the dash design in the current Genesis and Equus are bland as can be and even the dash design in the Quoris is overly conservative, considering the sheetmetal).

 

[Ruissimo]

I wouldn't consider BMW and MB "mid-luxury". They're luxury brands. It make sense to call it a killer IF the pricing stays relatively stable AND the additional tech is added (as expected).

I'm gonna wait to pass judgement on the final result when they take off the drapes. Honestly, if it comes with a Genesis-coupe-type front grill, I am OUT. I hate the look of that thing.

As for the Quoris interior, am I the only one that finds it pedestrian? The red accents do nothing but enhance the mundane (and cheap) feeling of the Kia interiors. Quoris is just a bit nicer than the rest of their lineup.

The Azera interior is already better than the Quoris IMO.

 

[YEH]

I wouldn't consider BMW and MB "mid-luxury". They're luxury brands. It make sense to call it a killer IF the pricing stays relatively stable AND the additional tech is added (as expected).

I'm thinking he meant "mid-luxury" as in segment (mid-size) as opposed to compact (entry-level) of full-size (flagship).

I'm gonna wait to pass judgement on the final result when they take off the drapes. Honestly, if it comes with a Genesis-coupe-type front grill, I am OUT. I hate the look of that thing.

Agreed that the front of the GC is horrendous, but that's due to Hyundai designers botching the overall shape and the bumper treatment.

I don't mind oversized grills when they are done right. While Audi misfired a bit on how they did the front of the A8, they did a good job w/ the A7 and A6 - which based on the rendering, seems to be what the Genesis is closer to.

As for the Quoris interior, am I the only one that finds it pedestrian? The red accents do nothing but enhance the mundane (and cheap) feeling of the Kia interiors. Quoris is just a bit nicer than the rest of their lineup.

The Azera interior is already better than the Quoris IMO.

While the design of the dash of the Quoris is bland (I prefer the dash design of the Azera, as well as the Sonata - but that goes for the Genesis and Equus as well which both also have really bland dash designs), the quality of materials used for the interior in the Quoris is way better than that in the Azera and in many ways is better than what is in the Equus.

 

[Ruissimo]

While the design of the dash of the Quoris is bland (I prefer the dash design of the Azera, as well as the Sonata - but that goes for the Genesis and Equus as well which both also have really bland dash designs), the quality of materials used for the interior in the Quoris is way better than that in the Azera and in many ways is better than what is in the Equus.

I went back and looked at the detailed pictures I posted HERE and I suppose I agree with you a bit more now than when I made my previous statement. The dash and steering wheel are still atrocious though.

But the Genesis interior WILL look more upscale than the Azera. It has to!

 

[gameday22]

For me I really like the clean interior layout of the gauges in our Genny. I can't stand when the dash and gauges have so many colors, just gets ugly looking IMO and serves no real purpose.

Blind spot monitoring should have been in our car now for a long while, much more useful vs. a lane departure warning system...though having both will be nice.


I really like safety features in a car, so long as they don't destroy the driving experience. One of the areas that still lack in this department is headlights, not just in our car but in the vast majority of them on the road today. BMW, Mercedes and other luxury manufacturers are now starting to use something called Adaptive Highbeam Assist, which I would think even our new Genesis for 2014 will fail to have.


The system is extremely fast, relaying fresh data to the headlamps every 40 milliseconds. On the basis of this information, the headlamps are switched to low beam and the range of the adjustable bi-xenon headlamps in dipped-beam mode is set within a maximum reach of 300 meters and continuously adapted to the prevailing traffic situation. When the system detects that the road ahead is clear, high beam is activated automatically. Adaptive Highbeam Assist is available at speeds of 55 km/h and over. Once it has been switched on it operates fully automatically.

Practical tests confirm that Adaptive Highbeam Assist provides for safer motoring in the dark: despite oncoming traffic, pedestrian dummies at the side of the road were recognized from a distance of around 260 m – around 150 m earlier than with conventional dipped headlamps. This means that the new Mercedes-Benz assistant results in a more than twofold improvement in safety at night.

Call me crazy...but being able to see an object clearly up to 900' away would be nothing short of remarkable....or give the option of built in night vision !!

 

[waveman]

@gameday22: I agree that electronic safety features are desirable as long as they're not too obtrusive. One of the challenges for engineers is knowing where to set the threshold between passive (the system informs/warns the driver about a potentially dangerous condition) and active (the system takes over). Front collision detection systems like the one Infiniti offers are an example of this - if you're closing too fast, it warns you, and if you don't respond, it brakes. The same applies to lane departure warning and prevention.

I like the idea adaptive headlights or anything else that can improve my ability to see at night. Infrared night vision cameras could be another example, but I don't think the technology is quite there yet.

Eventually, it should be possible to provide warnings and activate prevention measures based on what other cars are doing. For example, if you were approaching an intersection on a green light while another vehicle was headed toward it on a cross street but wasn't slowing down, you'd know about it. But that's going to take vehicle-vehicle communication, which has its own risks.