Lesson from the look of Genesis
HYUNDAI PREMIUM BRAND UK DEBUT OFF TO SMART START
BRAVE, naive, wildly optimistic or a good idea? Which best describes Hyundai’s plan to introduce its posh Genesis brand in Europe and in particular to these islands? Possibly all four.
We’ve seen this strategy before several times; successfully with Lexus, and rather less so with Nissan’s attempt to introduce Infinity into the United Kingdom.
Citroen introduced DS Automobiles several years ago and it seems to be gaining a foothold. The incentive for trying to launch a spin-off premium brand is you can charge more for the car than you could if it had the mother brand’s badge on it. Would you pay Lexus money for a Toyota, for example?
Hyundai did actually bring a Genesis into the UK in 2015 and I remember driving it and being quite impressed. Not a sporty machine, but a comfortable one with adequate performance.
I recall even then thinking its thirsty petrol engine was a bit behind the times. You could level the same criticism at the Genesis we’re driving today.
It’s a saloon badged as the G80 and powered by a 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that produces 300bhp. It drives through an eight-speed automatic gearbox to all four wheels.
There’s an SUV called the GV80 which also uses this engine or a 2.2litre diesel. Genesis will introduce a further six models in the space of a year including electrified versions.
If there’s one thing Hyundai really knows about it’s electric powertrains.
First of all, the styling. It’s smart, but also a bit anonymous. Not as appealing as DS Automobiles’ new DS9 which is also trying to gate crash Audi and BMWs’ party.
The cabin is spacious with a quality feel. And there’s lots of kit.
Our test car’s on-the-road price is £47,950, but with the Innovation Pack, Comfort Pack, Executive Pack and Nappa leather seats added that rockets to £63,440. The Genesis G80 still feels premium without these.
Although it packs a decent amount of power with 0-62mph in 6.0sec to match, it is no way a sports saloon. That doesn’t matter because the ride comfort is good, without being class leading, and the engine is smooth and quiet and works well with the gearbox.
There’s plenty of grip, too, and traction thanks to the four-wheeldrive system.
Vague but light steering rules out trying to drive the G80 like a sporty BMW. Genesis is putting a lot of emphasis into the buying and ownership experience of its cars and during the launch didn’t talk about much else. Nothing like what the crankshaft is made of or how the valves are operated. Old hat.
Genesis is opening boutique-like showrooms which, much like an Apple store, will be staffed by experts who can answer all questions.
A car can be brought to your home for a test drive, bought and finance arranged at home, and later your Genesis will be collected for servicing and a like-for-like courtesy car left for you.
Infinity had a similar customer promise. It’s most likely the future, too, as mega showrooms in glass and aluminium look more and more like the past.
That said, how ever you sell motors and build the customer experience, it won’t help if the car itself isn’t desirable.
Genesis is off to a good start with the G80 but it will need a huge marketing push for the brand to succeed.
It also can’t get its electrified models to the market soon enough as our car’s 205g/km emissions will make it a non-starter as a company car.
We’ve also driven the GV80 SUV, which you’ll read about soon. This model has more showroom appeal.
Sorry, boutique appeal.