Wake Up Hyundai, You're Losing Customers

[Ted Weintraub]

My enthusiasm for the Genesis has been ongoing since I read their hype in the Wall Street Journal back in January of this year. But alas my enthusiam has waned. Is the car that caused that to happen? NO. I drove the car this past tuesday at a local Baltimore agency. The car drives beautifully and looks great. It has a feeling of quality throughout. So why have i lost my desire to own one? The reasonis pure and simple. The skulldugery of the three dealers I visited. One dealer offered to give me a $500. discount but stinted on the trade in value. A second dealer advertised, ( rather blatantly ) that he would discount any car in stock for double the amount of your government rebate check. That would have amounted to $2400.00. I'm not naive, so I called the salesmanager of that agency who advised that the ad did not include the Genesis, ergo no discount. The third, and last agency agreed to a $1000.00 discount. Whoops. There was a small matter of some dealers add ons. He claimed that they had already added Lojak and paint preserver to the four Genesis they had in stock. I politely told him he was speaking with a forked toungue. Hyundai brags about their warranty, including their rust through prevention etc. Why then have dealers who will blatantly lie about the necessity to have additional rust proofing. In total the addons amounted to over $1300.00, thats three hundred more than the discount that was offered.In closing I would suggest that Hyundai look closely at their dealerships and eleminate any that have shown a tendency to Bull S--- the public. This might be a good time for Hyundai to reconsider having Genesis only dealerships. Oh yes yesterday I bought a new car. It is a Buick Lucerne CXL. Bye bye hyundai.

 

[GrandPrix08]

Re: Genesis vs. Mercedes E-class Review

Congrats on your new Buick purchase. The Hyundai dealers should have known that, most car buyers these days DON'T pay for the rustproofing. Cars don't rust out anymore, and all the needed rustproofing is already done in the factory. I guess its these, un-educated Hyundai dealers is one of the obstacles that the Genesis is facing in selling the cars. Oh, the shame.....

 

[Coug]

Re: Genesis vs. Mercedes E-class Review

The skulldugery of the three dealers I visited. One dealer offered to give me a $500. discount but stinted on the trade in value. A second dealer advertised, ( rather blatantly ) that he would discount any car in stock for double the amount of your government rebate check. That would have amounted to $2400.00. I'm not naive, so I called the salesmanager of that agency who advised that the ad did not include the Genesis, ergo no discount. The third, and last agency agreed to a $1000.00 discount. Whoops. There was a small matter of some dealers add ons. He claimed that they had already added Lojak and paint presever to the four Genesis they had in stock. I politely told him he was speaking with a forked toungue. Hyundai brags about their warranty, including their rust through prevention etc. Why then have dealers who will blatantly lie about the necessity to have additional rust proofing. In total the addons amounted to over $1300.00, thats three hundred more than the discount that was offered.In closing I would suggest that Hyundai look closely at their dealerships and eleminate any that have shown a tendency to Bull S--- the public. This might be a good time for Hyundai to reconsider having Genesis only dealerships. Oh yes yesterday I bought a new car. It is a Buick Lucerne CXL. Bye bye hyundai.

Wow, that is scary. I had no idea there were so many unscrupulous Hyundai dealers out there. I know they aren't all like that, but for you to hit 3 out of 3, that is truly sad. I'm not sure I'm interested in buying a great car from a dishonest or uncaring dealer. My interest is waning too I'm afraid......

 

[jwaters943]

Re: Genesis vs. Mercedes E-class Review

Sorry to hear about your bad dealership experiences. I still maintain that if the Genesis fails it won't be because of the car, it will be because of the Hyundai dealership experience and/or a lack of proper marketing. If JD Powers results are to be believed, you are not alone in receiving a better sales experience at Buick: http://www.jdpower.com/autos/ratings/sales-satisfaction

So, how do you like your Lucerne so far? I've always thinked they looked quite clean/elegant, but with a tad too much wheelgap. We're you tempted at all to go for the Super?

 

[Sal Collaziano]

I moved this post out of the E-Class discussion for several reasons. First, it had nothing to do with the E-Class.. Second, it's important that this message stands out in the crowd of discussions. Third, it looks like we're going to be talking about the Buick Lucerne...

In any event... This is CLEAR evidence that Hyundai needs a luxury brand to start dealing in this territory. Besides all the rest of the good reasons we hear from various people online - here's a few more...

Hyundai? I hope you're listening...

 

[GrandPrix08]

Maybe we should pin this topic. Surely, Hyundai should have EDUCATED all of its dealers before sending the cars, so they don't use their dirty tricks/tactics they normally use on their lower end models just to make more money out of the customers pocket. They should have educated them, that those tricks won't work with the luxury car buyers. Hyundai should wake up and get their acts togather fast, if they want to sell these Genesis they claim they spent a lot of money for, and done 1,000s of tests on.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Once we get enough topics like this, I have a new category in mind...

 

[RichieRichLancair]

My interest in the Genesis is waning also.

I never thought I would say that. I've followed this car for two years, since it was the Equinox.

None at local dealers. Dealer information is sparse at best, misleading at worst. I've had dealers tell me that it comes with cloth seats with leather as an option. Leather is standard. Had a dealer tell me that Hyundai will not build Genesis with leather seats until fourth quarter 2008.

The options that Hyundai touted are still in development, dropped or changed. Adaptive cruise control - Heated and cooled seats (driver side only) rear seat DVD entertainment system.

Marketing wise I think that Hyundai should have had the V8s hit first with the V6s very close behind. The V8s would drive traffic to the dealers to be sold on the V6s to come.

All the hype about this being Hyundai's Lexus LS400 looks misleading by this botched introduction, IMO. I think it would have been better to delay a few more months and deliver on their promises. You only have one shot to make a first impression.

I noticed that the Atlanta dealer on this site, says that the genesis feels like the Azera. He actually preferred the Azera. I like his honesty. Shame that Hyundai isn't more serious about the Genesis.

The MyRide review was the best by far. All the other reviews have been let down by the Genesis.

Marketing 101 - Your product better live up to your promises.

Looks like Hyundai should have premium branded this car. Like Acura, Infiniti and Lexus. Their dealerships just can't handle a premium luxury car.

 

[Ted Weintraub]

I am pleased that my dealers lament caught a lot of eyes. I wonder if Hyundai of America reads the " Forum ". If so there is a message there for you. If you are sincere about your product ( which I will admit is good ) , you will seek me out to learn who your distinguished Hyundai dealers in the Baltimore area are. One contributor asked how I liked my new Lucerne. It is a gorgeous car, runs like a deer and has all kinds of electronic gadgets associated with the car. As a matter of fact I will be visiting the dealer today to take refresher course in which button does what. My wife said, " just read the book. I told her I am a retired cop, not an engineer.Oh yes, a major motivator in my decision to by a GM car was the fact that we have a GM Masters Charge card which provided an addition $1600.00 in discounts. I do not want to sound mercinary but vehicle cost and savings is a major consideration for many seniors.Oh yes the Lucerne CXL has cooled driver and front seat passenger seats as standard equipment. So whats the big deal Hyundai?

 

[jwaters943]

Glad to hear you're happy with your Lucerne!

On a side note, are driver and passenger cooled seats such a big deal for people? I had them on my GS and aside from July & August, it never got hot enough to really justify their use. I'd rather have the Genesis' better fuel-economy and significantly greater horsepower/torque over the Lucerne's cooled passenger seat, but that's just me.

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[Sal Collaziano]

Glad to hear you're happy with your Lucerne!

On a side note, are driver and passenger cooled seats such a big deal for people? I had them on my GS and aside from July & August, it never got hot enough to really justify their use. I'd rather have the Genesis' better fuel-economy and significantly greater horsepower/torque over the Lucerne's cooled passenger seat, but that's just me.

If you live in Florida, you really appreciate cooled seats. Especially when they work well. I don't think the passenger cooled seat is a BIG deal - but it's very silly to have not included it in the package. It's there in the Korea models. Why was it cut out of the U.S. models? In any other automobile with the option available - you either have cooled seat"s" or you don't...

 

[Duaine]

My enthusiasm for the Genesis has been ongoing since I read their hype in the Wall Street Journal back in January of this year. But alas my enthusiam has waned. Is the car that caused that to happen? NO. I drove the car this past tuesday at a local Baltimore agency. The car drives beautifully and looks great. It has a feeling of quality throughout. So why have i lost my desire to own one? The reasonis pure and simple. The skulldugery of the three dealers I visited. One dealer offered to give me a $500. discount but stinted on the trade in value. A second dealer advertised, ( rather blatantly ) that he would discount any car in stock for double the amount of your government rebate check. That would have amounted to $2400.00. I'm not naive, so I called the salesmanager of that agency who advised that the ad did not include the Genesis, ergo no discount. The third, and last agency agreed to a $1000.00 discount. Whoops. There was a small matter of some dealers add ons. He claimed that they had already added Lojak and paint preserver to the four Genesis they had in stock. I politely told him he was speaking with a forked toungue. Hyundai brags about their warranty, including their rust through prevention etc. Why then have dealers who will blatantly lie about the necessity to have additional rust proofing. In total the addons amounted to over $1300.00, thats three hundred more than the discount that was offered.In closing I would suggest that Hyundai look closely at their dealerships and eleminate any that have shown a tendency to Bull S--- the public. This might be a good time for Hyundai to reconsider having Genesis only dealerships. Oh yes yesterday I bought a new car. It is a Buick Lucerne CXL. Bye bye hyundai.

It's to bad any dealer would turn off a customer to buying a new car no matter how good it might be. And as I have said before most dealers in our area handle several brands other than Hyundai. I wondered if this was the case out east as well?

You would think if a dealer is going to treat a potential Hyundai customer this way then he would treat a Buick, Chevy, etc. customer much the same way.

I have said it before and I'm not ashamed to say it I am so thankful to live in the mid-west. I have seen how buisnesses treat people on both the east and west coasts and in many cases its terrible. I even think the very nature of many people are different.

I am going to share a personal e-mail message with the Hyundai Sales Manager where I buy my cars. I have bought my last 5 Hyundai's from him. In fact the the dealership is a little further away than 2 others but I like how fast this guys likes to sell you a car!

I have bought everyone through e-mail messages and phone conversations with him. The first time I was a bit nervous about it but I love it now.

First off he is the Sales Manager so he gives you the direct answers and doesn't have to run to anyone else to ask if the deal is good or not. Every car I have bought after a few messages back and fourth when we reach and agreement he then sends in e-mail form of all the cost details. I print it out and take it with me and has always been right on.

We have only one pre-condition with one another. He knows now that I keep me cars in tip top shape but he didn't the first time. The agreement is that he can check my trade to see if it is as good as I say it is and I look over my new car inside and out with a magnifying glass before I buy it and of course drive it. He trusts me well enough by now that the last 3 times they haven't even looked at my trade when I pull in.

He knows I hate dealerships and long waits. I like having reached a deal before I even leave home. He also knows after I arrive I like to be out in an hour with my new cars and no more than that.

I drove a Genesis just today and came away very impressed even with the basic versions. Everyone is different but I have drove the Buicks and can honestly say I don' think you can compare them. Evidently I'm not the only one because I don't see any Buick reviews comparing them to Lexus, BMW, etc.

My dad has always been a Buick man and I have just not cared for most of the styles that they have ever offered. If you recall the biggest complaint about the Azera was that it had the soft floating Buick like ride.

The following is a previous conversation with my Hyundai dealership. I don't think Genesis discounts are going to be to hard to come by unless for some reason my dealership treats me special or something and I don't think they do.
They just like to sell tons of cars. I don't understand why all dealers wouldn't?


From: CSHYUNDAI@aol.com
Date: 6/9/2008 8:31:40 PM
To: dcampbell@netins.net
Subject: **SPAM** Re: **SPAM** Hyundai Genesis V-8 with Tech Pkg.


Duaine, the V8 TECH package lists for $42,000.00 including freight. You
are probably looking at about $39,500.00 for a purchase price. Al
In a message dated 5/28/2008 8:43:34 P.M. Central Daylight Time, dcampbell@netins.net writes:
Hi Al,

I have saw what is supposedly price releases of the Genesis Sedan at like a forum site that is called www.genesisowners.com This one guy supposedly works at a Hyundai dealership somewhere.. There are some links to first drives of the car in South Korea. Some of them are Motor Trend, Car and Driver, Popular Mechanics and a few others. For the most part they sound fairly positive and I believe they were using what they called pre-production cars but said to be very close to the final released versions.
Anyway one guy in this forum supposedly works for a Hyundai Dealership somewhere here in the U.S.
He is claiming that Hyundai has announced some pricing on the car. He is claiming that the V-8 Genesis loaded with the tech pkg. is going to run $42,000.00. I got to say if that is right then I am pretty well disappointed! Everything Hyundai had said before that I was seeing said maxing out at $40,000.00. If I do decide to get one I would want the V-8 with the tech pkg. I had hoped maybe a guy would be able to get one discounted to around $38,000.00. To be honest this is what I had been planning and working towards. I would already be at the upper limit as to what I could afford. I do know that I won't settle for the V-6 and I won't settle for the base V-8 without the tech package. I'm hoping naturally that this guys information isn't correct. I figured that you probably know whether it is or not. If it is correct I may be out of the picture this year if at all on the car.


Duaine Campbell






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[jwaters943]

If you live in Florida, you really appreciate cooled seats. Especially when they work well. I don't think the passenger cooled seat is a BIG deal - but it's very silly to have not included it in the package. It's there in the Korea models. Why was it cut out of the U.S. models? In any other automobile with the option available - you either have cooled seat"s" or you don't...

I'm assuming you're looking for an answer more clever than "to cut costs"? The dollar is so weak right now and Hyundai has priced the Genesis approx. $20k lower in the U.S. than in Korea. At this price you simply cannot have everything that's offered on the Korean model (e.g. Rear Seat Entertainment System, Ionizing HVAC system, Air Suspension, etc.). Either way I'm sure you're well-aware that Hyundai isn't the only automaker doing this. Nissan's new Maxima has an optional heated/cooled drivers seat w/ a heated-only passenger seat.

 

[GrandPrix08]

So I take it as you are not going to get it as well Duane, right? These price increase by Hyundai is really a stupid move. I mean, if you think you can't do it, why announce it in the first place that it will top out at 40 grand?. Well, I highly doubt they will reach whatever target units they set as a selling goal, since they are just not doing a good job. Bad Dealer experience, on raised price from the original set price.

Well, good luck Hyundai. I WAS actually wishing to see them on street and getting some credibility so the luxury market doesn't stay as Europe and Japan only playground, but Hyundai are just making some silly marketting, and dealer mistakes that drives away its potential customers. Oh the shame.

 

[GrandPrix08]

I'm assuming you're looking for an answer more clever than "to cut costs"? The dollar is so weak right now and Hyundai has priced the Genesis approx. $20k lower in the U.S. than in Korea. At this price you simply cannot have everything that's offered on the Korean model (e.g. Rear Seat Entertainment System, Ionizing HVAC system, Air Suspension, etc.). Either way I'm sure you're well-aware that Hyundai isn't the only automaker doing this. Nissan's new Maxima has an optional heated/cooled drivers seat w/ a heated-only passenger seat.

Well, it's known that Korean cars always costs more in its domestic Korean market, and it goes down in price drastically when it ships to North America. Part of the reason being is that, NO-ONE in their right mind will pay the Korean price in North America for what it really is. Although the North American models are far superior in steel rigitity, and pretty much in every area. When Genesis was first introduced, they DID say it will cost under 30K and didn't even emphasized much on its powerplant. Just repeating like a broken record, that it will have 300HP and well under 6 seconds 0-60 times. Even on their recent 2008 NY Auto Shows, they EMPHASIZED heavily that it will cost UNDER 30K, now look what they did. They raised the price 4K, and dropped the advertised equipment that was said to be included in the beginning. It's like palying a game on its customer and lying about all the things they announced just to get attention and to get all these hypes. If you are unsure that you can do it, DON'T announce it in the first place. Plain and simple.

 

[jwaters943]

I get what you're saying and I agree with some of it. It's kind of like Hyundai's right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing sometimes. Take for instance their website. They've had 2009 Azera's on the lot for well over a month and it's still not on their website. The Genesis section hasn't been updated forever either. They should at least have a "build your own" function up by now. They aren't even showing the correct wheels on the Genesis.....lame.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

I didn't know that the Nissan Maxima had a single cooled seat option. Maybe this will start becoming a trend.. However, it's only a Maxima.. To me, I think the Genesis is far and beyond what the Maxima is. Let's just finish off here saying that it would not likely sway my decision to own a Genesis (the single cooled seat). I bet you could easily obtain the Korean seat and likely just plug it in and add a button on the console if you really wanted the option.

The Buick Lucerne doesn't compare to the Hyundai Genesis.. However, Buick is working on things, and you can certainly expect Lexus-like quality with upcoming Buick products.. They're getting ready to launch some excellent new products...

GrandPrix08. Don't lose faith. It's only us enthusiasts that know about this botched launch. We're the first wave of interested buyers. This car is STILL going to sell to everyone else. And there are a LOT MORE "everyone else" than "enthusiasts".

 

[Duaine]

So I take it as you are not going to get it as well Duane, right? These price increase by Hyundai is really a stupid move. I mean, if you think you can't do it, why announce it in the first place that it will top out at 40 grand?. Well, I highly doubt they will reach whatever target units they set as a selling goal, since they are just not doing a good job. Bad Dealer experience, on raised price from the original set price.

Well, good luck Hyundai. I WAS actually wishing to see them on street and getting some credibility so the luxury market doesn't stay as Europe and Japan only playground, but Hyundai are just making some silly marketting, and dealer mistakes that drives away its potential customers. Oh the shame.

I really don't know for sure GrandPrix08. My first impressions are that I love the car. I do want the V-8 and I know allot of you don't think that is a good move.

I don't blame my dealer for this but rather the big wheels at Hyundai. The dealers are simply starting the price out at the retail price that Hyundai has decided on.

As I say I love my Hyundai dealership. I am beginning to think after reading the way some of the dealers are treating people my dealership should be winning plenty of awards and maybe they are I don't know.

That all being said as you hear the news reports of $7.00 per gal. gas coming in just two years I have to be honest.........part of me says find the most fuel efficient vehicle available.

Still as one who owned GTO's and Trans Am's I was looking to once again get into something that was rear wheel drive and some of that good old V-8
power to get things done. For a V-8, if the fuel mileage estimates are accurate, I didn't think the mileage for it was much worse than the V-6. A person doesn't always have to get your foot into it.

I know I didn't answer you very well and its because I just don't know. I think I will continue to watch all the reviews that come in until the V-8's start coming in I guess.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

I definitely don't think the v8 is a bad idea. It's really not much more expensive to fuel up the Tau as opposed to the v6. So go for it! I just think the performance numbers are a little lacking for the horsepower it has. It does lack a little torque....

 

[jwaters943]

If you're used to a high-horsepower/torque V8 and having the fastest Genesis is important to you, go for the V8. I'm very pleased w/ my V6, but each person is different in their wants.

You could always do that amazing 2 year lease Hyundai is offering on the Genesis. Then once your lease is up you could upgrade to a new Genesis! By that time they might have incorporated Direct Injection and/or cylinder deactivation on the V8 with both more horsepower and greater fuel economy. Best of both worlds IMO.