On Wednesday, Hyundai announced that it’s turning Genesis into a separate luxury line to “compete with the world’s most renowned vehicle brands”, according to the automaker. By 2020, it will offer six models. Although it hasn’t been ruled out, the brand’s unlikely to make an appearance in the United Kingdom, at least initially.
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Aside from a new logo, the brand’s designs will be overseen by Luc Donckerwolke, a designer poached from the VW group who has worked on Audi, Lamborghini, Seat and Skoda models.
Of course, Hyundai got the name for its luxury brand from its current luxury sedan, the Genesis, which has been kicking down the door in trying to compete with some of its rival models from Acura, Lexus an Infiniti in the past few years. It’s always been apparent that Hyundai had luxury aspirations – it has done its homework to develop what seems to be a reasonable approach around a clear brand and image target.
The first Hyundai Genesis model arrived on the US market for the 2009 model year as a full-size rear-wheel-drive sedan featuring the Korean automaker’s first V-8 engine in a passenger vehicle.
The range will have a new naming structure, combining the letter G and a number, in similar fashion to the Infiniti Q50 and Infiniti Q70.
“The Genesis models will provide technological innovation, excellent driving performance and luxury to customers,”Woong-Chul Yang, Head of Hyundai Motor R&D Center and Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor, stated. Every Genesis model will be created with the needs of our customers in mind”.
To ensure that the Genesis has its own distinct identity, Hyundai will setup a Prestige Design Division that will exclusively design cars for the sub-brand.
A genesis is the beginning of something. At the initial stage, the sales will start in the Korean, Chinese, North American and Middle Eastern markets.
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Setting the brand’s cars apart from competitors, innovation will begin with the consumer, with customer requirements directing development. By introducing new customers to Hyundai Motor and elevating its competitiveness, the new Genesis brand will enable more people to experience the premium value of Hyundai Motor.
