I'm not sure what your point is. Go read the comments section of any site or forum about the Genesis refreshes, and there are many owners of the current G70 and G90 who find the refresh designs to be ugly and are not interested in the new vehicles, just like there were plenty of LS and GS owners who didn't care for the newer versions with the full spindle. Genesis as a brand is so new that brand loyalty doesn't exist yet like in Audi where they keep the design language almost identical from generation to generation, which itself has been heavily criticized as an approach, and certainly not the norm. And keeping a consistent design language certainly hasn't helped the Germans with resale value. In fact, I'm pretty sure that adopting the spindle grille doesn't weaken the resale value of any Lexus vehicle since it's a purely cosmetic change. Old LX's and GX's are still going for big bucks, spindle grille or not.

Bit put it best: damned if they do, damned if they don't. Design is subjective.

 

i disagree with all points. first i think they do have a longer term view... they wouldn't be investing so enormously expecting a pay off quickly. the current g80 came out of the hyundai world (great car though) and was 'the' genesis before there was a brand. the equus was unconnected, and then the g90 and g70 were bold steps up and down the market but the 3 models lacked a cohesive design language. they're now addressing that and there will be obvious design elements across 70/80/90 and the suv's which they can evolve from just like you say they should do.

they also have a domestic market where they get a lot of sales regardless of how things pan out in the u.s. in the short run.

as far as comparisons to lexus, that's not really possible because the market situations are so different. Lexus launched when the german brands had their pants around their ankles so to speak. Certainly not the case now! And then we have the T brand crashing the party too in every way, including no dealers! Then of course hyundai/genesis shot themselves in the foot when they realized they didn't want all hyundai dealers able to sell genesis but couldn't pick and choose without redoing separate franchise agreements for genesis. This cost them a year but better to do it then than later. That in itself was a HUGE investment, showing long term commitment.

Genesis could certainly 'fail' like infiniti it seems, and acura almost failed. Won't bother me if they fail. Plenty of awesome vehicles out there, including Lexus!

 

We’ll just have to agree to disagree about the quick pace of the restyling.

If this look is the basis from which they grow their aesthetic then great, but I wouldn’t be surprised if 2 years from now we see an entirely new look for Genesis.

 

Great post.

 

I couldn't possibly agree more. My mom just bought a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe - which I believe is/was 2 years into it's current design and is already being pretty radically changed for 2021. The refresh cycle for Hyundai/Kia/Genesis would scare me as an owner because you risk buying something brand new and having it be "the old version" faster than any other manufacturer. I don't like it- and even more so in the luxury (Genesis) category. I want a design that holds up for 4+ years with extremely minor changes and I want it to "age well".

Most folks outside of this forum couldn't tell you the difference between a 2007 and 2012 LS460 by looking at the exterior. While there are differences, they're really subtle over a 5 year period. I don't want something with drastic changes every 2-3 years unless I'm leasing... and even then I'm not sure I like it unless I've leased at year 1 of the remodel. Maybe they're going for a 3 year lease crowd?

 

Even when you’re leasing...they change the design so quick you’re still driving an outdated car!

 

the changes they're making now are to ESTABLISH a common look not change for the sake of change. there won't be an 'entirely new look for Genesis' in 2 years. It will be 2 years before they even finish the current roll out including the gv70.

 

The Santa Fe has nothing to do with Genesis. It was an almost complete mechanical overhaul, not a styling one. It's the opposite with Genesis so far. The G90 refresh is mechanically unchanged and only features new sheetmetal, heck it still uses analogue gauges. The old G80 never got a refresh, only some minor infotainment upgrades. And for all its good points, the G70 still uses the same basic Hyundai infotainment and crappy base 4 cylinder engine out of a last-gen Sonata. The 2.0T is a total joke for a luxury car and few have had good things to say about it. There's been far more complaints of Genesis not updating and differentiating itself from Hyundai fast enough on a mechanical and software level, and that's why the new G80 and GV80 are so significant.

Right now, rumors suggest that the new G70 might be along the same lines of the Lexus refreshes where it's merely cosmetic, while the powertrains remain unchanged. That would be extremely disappointing if true. If Genesis wants to be competitive with the European offerings, they have to update their existing cars to the same universal standard as the G80/GV80. I welcome them to go even further with the mechanical updates. People who shop luxury cars that aren't Lexus loyal want meaningful refreshes once their lease period is over, and they do not want to be told that the newest version of the older car they have doesn't have all the toys of the latest models when they decide to renew their lease.

 

Leaked images are online: I kinda like the new exterior. Cool headlights and how they are split, reminds me of the GS and LX when the light were split into four (Genesis is stacked vertical of course). I do like how the Genesis winged badge is in the front, and then it says Genesis on the back, totally different on each end. As for changing over exteriors so quick, sedans are not doing well so anything to bring some excitement to the sedan arena is positive. (I get the drawbacks too)

 

Given that Hyundai is the parent company of Kia and Genesis, my point was that the Santa Fe is also under a very quick refresh cycle and so it seems to be a consistent theme within Hyundai's overall strategy across 3 brands. The 2021 Santa Fe is actually getting a facelift for the front, back, and a completely modified interior. A fast refresh cycle is the only bad thing I have to say about Genesis, Hyundai or Kia at the moment. I find their cars very well styled, an incredible value, but I'm not a fan of big changes every 3 years.

 

about genesis, they only have 3 models for one thing. 3 year refresh is not unusual.

the 2017-2019 g90 doesn't have apple car play or android auto, doesn't have some of the new features available even on cars like the new sonata like the blind spot camera views in the gauge cluster (which even for the 2020 version they only did between the gaurges, not putting a whole led display like on all other high end luxury cars now.

the g80 is a new model after the current model has been out a very long time.

the g70 refresh is significant front and back but that's only to match the look of the 80, 90 and gv80.

i just don't see any big deal here.

 

Yeah, 3-4 year refreshes are the norm, especially in the luxury segment. Lexus refreshed the front/rear of the '16 ES/GS/IS after their initial release in 2013, BMW did the same with the '21 5-Series and went as far as giving it a new MHEV system, and Mercedes made a heavy revision on the '21 E-Class similar to Genesis by revising the front and rear to match their new design language that first appeared in the A-Class, as well as giving it a complete engine overhaul (the new inline 6 MHEV) and infotainment system (MBUX). The 5-Series came out in 2018 while the E-Class came out in 2017.

I'm not sure where the expectation of any car existing for 5 years or longer without refreshes comes from- the only few times I've seen that happen were with some of Lexus's aging vehicles like the LS 460 and smaller budget-strapped companies like JLR and Bentley. What Genesis is doing to the G70 is nothing unusual, and as I said before, not extensive enough unless they plan to update to the latest Smartstream engines.

 

Would you be willing to make a bet on whether the G70 Refresh sells or does not sell relative to its peers?

I am willing to bet that consumers will continue to turn their backs to the G70 Refresh relative to its peers.

 

Not having a botched launch delaying its arrival on dealer lots by over a year automatically puts the refresh G70 in a better position than the old one.

That being said, you seem to be parroting this same statement about every Genesis model except for the outgoing G80 (with your factually false narrative about it being a big seller), because it's the only vehicle from the brand whose design you like. I'm not sure why you continue to equate your subjective tastes in design to what you presume to be the success of a vehicle.

 

Don't worry about individual subjective opinions.
Look at the facts.
In its first full year, 2014 Hyundai Genesis sold over 30k/year USA relative to its peers.
Even on its 6th year last year, the G80 continued to outsell the GS many times over.

With G70, we know for a fact that in its first full year, it could only manage 10k+ relative to an ageing 6 year old IS that sold nearly 15k.

So what is your prediction for G70 Refresh?
It doesn't hurt to make a prediction.
It doesn't matter if a prediction is right or wrong.
Some people are better at judging than others; it's always helpful if one can more accurately predict the outcome.

Despite its ageing engines, I bet you the ageing long in the tooth 3.5IS Refresh will outsell the G70 Refresh, and perhaps by a solid margin too?
Sales are facts.
Sales are not subjective opinions.
.