Wings be gone?

[Mark_888]

I have no idea if the story is true, but if it is, there wouldn't necessarily be a lawsuit. A confidential settlement after a cease and desist letter would not be something you can find on the internet.

Since the Genesis wings are factory installed by Hyundai for the Korea and other markets outside of North America, I doubt it is true. If there was a copyright infringement, why would Bentley let them use it in those countries?

Also, the BMW owned Mini has very similar wings in its logo (Bentley is now owned by VW Group).

Car dealers only tell the truth when it is convenient. The truth is that HMA made a conscious decision to sell these cars under Hyundai brand, instead of a separate luxury brand as they do in Korea, and replacing the H logo with KDM wings is counter-productive to their own strategy of building the Hyundai brand image.

 

[EXBMWGUY]

Guys, I think you're right and I was wrong - specifically to post something (believing something I was told) without fact-checking first. I'm usually pretty thorough, and will be so more from now on. With the R-Spec, the sxxt-eatn grin on my face has been a little distracting lately.

OBTW, I love my wings!

 

[DeeVa]

my uninformed speculation is that hma made a conscious decision to sell these cars under hyundai brand, instead of a separate luxury brand as they do in korea, and replacing the h logo with kdm wings is counter-productive to their own strategy of building the hyundai brand image.

fify

 

[Mark_888]

fify

No, you didn’t fix it for me, your forged my post in your fictitious quote. I don't appreciate you quoting me inaccurately. That is bad forum etiquette (very bad).

My opinion is not "uninformed." I have participated in a live on-line chat session with John Krafcik (CEO of Hyundai Motor America) at the Hyundai Think Tank website, and he repeatedly said that the number one priority of HMA is to build the Hyundai brand. The problem they had is that a surprising number of Camry and Honda buyers will not even consider an equivalent Hyundai and HMA has been on a mission to change that. Things have improved considerably for Hyundai in the last few years, partly because of the Sonata improvements, and partly because Genesis and Equus has elevated the Hyundai brand name in the US to new heights from the depths of the 1980's when the Hyundai brand was in the toilet.

Many other Hyundai executives have stated the same thing about needing to build the brand, and that Genesis and Equus is a part of that. If you look at the number of Equus commercials on TV, there is no way they are making money on the Equus, they are building the brand. This is a sophisticated type of marketing that many don't understand.

Granted there were other factors in the decision not to start a separate luxury brand in the US, but they could have sold Genesis brand at Hyundai dealers without spending a lot of money opening up a separate line of dealers (like Lincoln used to be sold at Mercury dealers), but HMA chose not to do that, and instead they decided to replace the KDM badging with the Hyundai badge in the US.

 

[Gambler]

fify

FIFY (fixed it for you) is a passive aggressive away to tell somebody you disagree with them. I don't really have a problem with this practice as long as it is noted. Unfortunately in this case you are incorrect. I've read a few articles indicating that HMA did in fact make a conscious decision to keep the Genesis associated with the rest of the Hyundai line. So in this case you broke it for him.