they have 300 dealers right now, which isn't bad, although clearly hardly any or none any separate/upscale in the u.s. at least.

this article gives some good on the story thus far and that they have a plan...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dalebus.../#36db7e8012ab

 

Yeah its improving. A lot of the slow sales results have been because of lack of dealers and lack of inventory at dealers, I know that was a huge issue for the G70, numbers should start improving which it looks like they are.

 

You'll notice that the majority of those brands are (or were, if now foreigned-owned) British.

 

Someone can make a list of all of the oval/circular shaped emblems, then we'll see how few winged ones there are.

 

Didn't cross my mind when I posted it. Thanks for bringing that up, its interesting.

 

Oh yes, circle/oval leads the pack for sure. Good number of 'shields' too like Porsche, Ferrari, Buick, Lamborghini etc..

 

And a marketing identity. The other guys already have theirs, now Hyundai has to figure out what theirs is. It's not 1989 anymore, and things are a lot more competitive. Genesis is a great name for a luxury brand and as the styling evolves so will the way consumers see this brand. The 1st generation G90 looked good but the 2020 refresh with the sharper chiseled styling really is a nice update.

Like I said, tweak things and eventually this will be looked at as a luxury sedan that people shouldn't overlook, especially once the SUVs get here.

 

The difference is that in 1989, Hyundai was building junk, and that changed markedly about 15 years later or so, from about 2000-2005. The junk days from Hyundai are long gone, if people only open their eyes and look.

 

I'd say people have opened their eyed and looked. Hyundai sold 57K vehicles in October and 563K year to date in the U.S. alone.

 

Absolutely they make fine products, and Hyundai and Kia have great styling. I was actually alluding to Lexus and its debut in the luxury sedan market in 1989.

 

100% agree on all points! I’ve repeatedly also said this isn’t 1989 anymore and so a different approach might be needed, who knows. And i get that they could fail! I’m not really brand loyal but certainly respect many brands and manufacturers and the mystique/heritage they’ve created... bmw, mercedes, rolls royce, lexus, audi, bentley, tesla (shh ), to name a few... and most have had their bumps (or giant potholes) along the way.

 

Genesis is not a great luxury brand by any measure. I looked at the G70 and it's very impressive for the price but you get what you pay for. Interior is good but not Mercedes good and exterior is fine.The car really doesn't invoke any emotion. Dealers aren't really willing to deal either so you can pay a wee bit more for a C43 / M340 and be much happier.

I couldn't care less about the dealer experience for what it's worth

 

I 100% agree.

 

IMO, the most significant opportunity for the Genesis brand is their current Hyundai customers. You need a brand within the Hyundai family for current customers who love the brand. My brother is a huge Hyundai fan,I am not sure where he goes if he wants something a little. Iced, (little nicer)where does the Sonata fanatic go? whereas within Toyota, a Camry fan can go Avalon, or ES, or move to NX or UX cross over or jump to RX. Maybe Genesis needs a few cheaper FWD models for those coming from Hyundai? I dunno. Thoughts? Where does the hybrid buyer go within Hyundai or Genesis?

 

The obvious step up from the Sonata would be the Genesis G80...or the G70 if you want something a little smaller and more sport-oriented. There's also some talk of the Azera coming back to the American market.

Both Hyundai and Kia currently sell a line of hybrids....though I'm not (currently) aware of any in the Genesis line.