It seems so very long ago, that when we thought of Hyundai, this rolling piece of garbage came to mind. Cheap and built to last until it fell apart, which was usually quite soon after its initial purchase, the Pony had bad move written all over it. And posing it against a lovely southern setting didn't add to its appeal or take away from its badness. But as they say, that was then and now is now (how insightful, Barry).
Not quite now, but back in '09, Hyundai's stock had risen to the point, that they could drop a near luxury sedan into their product mix and test the water for people paying well into the $40k's for a Hyundai.......
Yes, the Genesis was that product. Very well equipped and nicely designed to not stand out. Wisely, the Hyundai name was left off of the Genesis, lest people felt they shouldn't drop that kind of coin for a Korean car. Where did they buy it? Of course, from a Hyundai showroom, so who were they fooling? Your non car savy cleaning lady or Stevie Wonder?
Anyway, time passed and Hyundai went even higher up the automotive food chain with the Equus. Never seen one? Not surprised, as they had the presence of John F. Kennedy's ghost. I'd see one every month or so and mention it to my car guy big bro, "Guess what I saw today?". Good car, but point well taken, if you are hoping to sell a luxury car, then maybe putting your mainstream cars' name on it isn't a good idea. Please see Lexus, Acura and Infiniti as a reference.
Enter the Genesis brand, starting with the G80........
.........and then adding the beautiful and expensive ($84K CAN starting price) G90........
......Hyundai was trying to establish the Genesis name as its own brand. Still sold thru Hyundai dealers, at least for the time being, these cars received very good reviews, particularly the G90. Comparisons with the top Bimmers and Mercedes had this car equiting itself extremely well. At least to the automotive press. That was a very good start, but still the G90 is a rarity on our city's streets. I have seen one. Only one.
But don't count Hyundai out, as the Pony story proves. They've learned and learned quickly. Now they are releasing concepts that are visually stunning........
You've probably noticed how the middle concept evolved into the G80, with basically the same design, minus of course, those auto show doors. Now with the New York Auto Show upon us, Genesis has shown yet another new concept, and no matter how much I like the coupe shown above, this GV80 is the one that should see production first...........
Note how the Genesis "face" is evolving into something less derivative. Knowing how North Americans love their suvs, to the exclusion of many great sedans, Hyundai should whip this one into production tout suite and watch the early adopters flock into their showrooms. Maybe this would be the Genesis that enables the brand to open their own exclusive dealerships?
Count Genesis out at your peril. After watching Hyundai morph into their current quality products and sales, from their disheartening start with the poor little Pony, expecting the Genesis not to gain traction in the market place would be a fool's bet.
Letting my brother know the next time I see a new Genesis, will, I believe, be a thing of the past. Maybe, I'll even call him one day and say, "Guess what I bought today?".
Until next time......
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