LexFather

Who has said that? Not here. The Genesis is respected here. We cannot help if people get their feelings caught up if they don't completely fap over it like some others do. There are some valid points made about the vehicle and people are entitled to point them out in a respectful fashion.

It is no LS 400. Not even close. The LS 400 might has copied some E-class exterior styling but it was original everywhere else and soon became the best selling import luxury sedan and set THE BAR for others to follow. In contrast the Genesis is a mix of copy from everyone and hasn't set any bar for anything. It still is a great car.

Thermactor

iTrader: (1)

I think that a lot of Hyundai's proponents are, interestingly enough, Japan-bashers who view Hyundai as an alternative to their beloved GM cars.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

craziest thing i've read on CL in a while.

yeah, fwd plasticky family econo boats are so similar to the elegant rwd v8-optional genesis. i find the genesis to have much more in common with an e-class than an accord! it certainly blows away a lexus es350 for example.

as for the equus - well, who knows how it will do and as has been said, maybe hyundai really doesn't mind if they don't sell many, it certainly puts "fud" into the marketplace in a huge way!

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

uh, they have 1 vehicle thus far and last time i looked the genesis is far outselling many luxury vehicles (over 2000 in June). i was just down in miami and saw lots of genesis sedans among mercedes, audis, and bmws and interestingly saw almost no lexus.

yeah there's a coupe that doesn't sell but coupes never sell that well although i don't get it as the genesis coupe has got to be one of the best bargains of all time. i just met someone who bought one though, and is totally smitten.

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

Are they splitting the coupe and sedan sales yet? I thought they just mashed them all together?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

does that cappuccino make you feel better when you take it in for a recall for valve spring replacement?

don't know but i'd guess they sell 1000 sedans and 20 coupes a month.

edit: i see genesis sold 2280 in june. (vs. 539 for GS)

mmarshall

I agree that the Genesis sedan is not in the LS's league, but I think he was refering to the Equus, not the Genesis. Like I said earlier, I won't make a direct comparison myself until I see the Equus in person, but it is no secret that Hyundai is targeting the LS as potential competition. Whether they succeed or not, and how much, remains to be seen.

mikemareen

i saw it at the 2009 LA car show, it's pretty darn big and it looks very "asian" in style. It has a very VIPstyle front grille and a hood mascot.

LexFather

Still apples to oranges. The Equus is a huge step for Hyundai. The LS was a huge step for the entire automotive landscape.

Also the Equus is going to be sold in what 200-1,000 units a year?

Now what could be incredible is the 2nd gens of these cars. Hyundai continues to improve and the next ones could be really something special for a vastly cheaper price. (Obama continues to chat with S.Korea over trade)

IS350jet

Here's how Lexus defines luxury;

"Making the most of every moment"

It is defined as, not just a car, but an entire ownership experience, from purchase, to trade. Can Hyundai offer that?

LexLaw

Great points! I think time will tell if they can succeed at all of the above. But for right now they have yet to arrive at all the above mentioned points. Most notably trade in and that's hugely affected by how people perceive the brand and product itself. This should be interesting to watch for the next few years. Think...Just 10 years ago we would have never had this discussion. That alone is remarkable.

mikemareen

as nice as their new model line up are becoming, I think hyundai is making a huge mistake by not branching off a luxury brand such as the "Genesis".

they could have just made their nicest and biggest dealerships as suppliers for both "genesis" and hyundai..... and leave the remaining little ghetto dealerships for hyundai itself. A marketing team and a few dealerships with upgraded luxury amenities, how much could that have costed them ?

lots of buyers are "brand" chasers and will only buy if it's perceived as a high end brand and that's where hyundai will lose out on when it's all said and done.

STIG

Where they can succeed or not, it should be clear to Toyota that the next generation LS MUST completely blow away the current LS.

Win for the consumers.

mikemareen

actually if you really tally it up, the equus isn't even all that.

the biggest awe factor is the fact that it was put out by hyundai, the company known to put out budget for the masses type of vehicles.

I don't even know if it would get the same awe factor if it was put out by infiniti or acura.

madoka

I can't say I've ever been wowed by Lexus. When I bought my IS F, my salesperson did not know the vehicle at all, made false statements, and refused to honor the price I was emailed. I ended up writing to corporate over what happened. Last time I took the IS F in for service, they scratched my rims (with tool marks) and claimed it was nothing. Finally last year when I asked for an email quote on a car, they tried calling me even though I explictly asked NOT to be called and blew me off when I insisted on their price being in writing. Got sick of the run around and bought a Porsche instead. I can't imagine Hyundai doing much worse in my book.