One Mans Blog
Specialization is for Insects.
Posted on Feb 04, 2008 - 1:46am by John P. in Vehicles, Videos
A while back Hundai began displaying the new Genesis concept vehicles. First the coupe, then later the sedan. Originally they were claiming it would have “over 300 horsepower”, but today we learned it will actually be 375! Oh, and they are claiming it will cost around $40k!?!
I’ve not been a fan of Hyundai in the past, but if they keep moving up market like this I’m going to have to take a very serious look. They are claiming it’s going to have all the features found on luxury vehicles from Mercedes, Lexus, Infinity and BMW such as:
The only question is… will buyers be willing to overlook the less than premium brand if they can get all the bells and whistles of a BMW at half the price? Well, if I’m any indication, I’d say it’s a definite maybe. I’ll have to wait and reserve judgement till I have the opportunity to get behind the wheel and see how it really performs.
Here was the first look at the coupe:
Then, during the SuperBowl they ran the following advertisements:
And here was the unveiling of the vehicle with complete description:
All of that and it’s also #5 on Motor Trends Cars Worth Waiting For list.
 |
Get OMB via e-mail:
|
I use the "No Adverts for Friends" plugin by Donncha O Caoimh
Well it is only a matter of time to offer a cliche. Japan proved long ago that asia can compete and do better than western companies in both quality, reliability, and marketing. Korea and China no doubt will be next. Already cars marketed for Asia are clones of well known Euro sedans and Suvs, BMW or Mercedes, forget which, already has a court case ready against a Chinese company who’s one design they feel infringes on their ideas.
I don’t think Hyundai will have the exaggerated differences in quality, reliability, and marketing (and associated bigotry) that the Japanese enjoyed. The market for this kind of car are the people that can remember the Excel of the 80s that had its frame and roof buckle during a 5 mph crash test. Hyundai should do some badge engineering and come up with a luxury brand like Honda’s Acura and Nissan’s Infiniti.
very good point, as time has passed since the “Japanese Invasion”, resistance to foreign, specifically Asian brands, has decreased. The market has also changed, once permiated with yuppies, disposable income is down, dollar inflated, middle class with a desire for premium accoutrements at a bargain price, or perhaps a second car for the wife. The niche might be very exploitable. I agree about the logo, I remember the lemon excels.
I saw the Super Bowl ads and was impressed. Objectively, they can compete with anyone one in the world on quality but there is a big difference in how you run a high end dealership versus an economy car dealership. I’ve dealt with high quality, low cost dealers like Saturn and high quality, high cost like Cadillac and there is different feel and a different style of customer service, Saturn was great but there was a superior feel at Cadillac. Positioning the brand could be tough now but people who understand bang for the buck might be trading in their Euro or Asian status cars.
This is a very good point that I had not considered. Even if I love this Hyundai, I do NOT want to have to go to a Hyundai dealer. The entire experience from sales to customer service will absolutely suck for people who are used to Acura, Lexus, Mercedes, etc.
I agree with all the comments that Hyundai is going to need to launch a luxury brand just like everyone else if they truly want to compete in this market. And if they do that, they’re going to have to raise prices.
John P.
Objectively they cant compete on quality - look at Consumers reports - they are just average
I’m a huge fan of Hyundai and even moreso now that they’re offering a RWD coupe with Nav, HIDs, and other luxury features.
However the sedan may end up being more my niche as the ease of entry of the kids is a plus..
I’m on my 4th Hyundai since 2001. I was a Honda only person before but the reliability of Honda was never there for me. Additionally, everyone else out there had one so there was never any feeling of being unique.
My first Hyundai was an accent I used for commuting. Great little subcompact that got 35mpg+ to work each day that nearly made it to 100k before another driver hit me and it had to be totaled out. Great experience. Bought an Elantra for my ex along with that Accent that I still have today. Then bought an 04 Tiburon which was great. Then an 07 Elantra now.
Unless the car requires something special like a convertible or high end sports car, etc. I’ll always go with Hyundai. they came out and changed a flat tire on the freeway of all places when it was 115 degrees outside.
That convenience is worth its weight in gold right there. Their warranty and roadside assistance is fantastic, although I’ve never needed the former in any of the 4 cars I bought.
Really excited to see how the pricing and such comes out.