Jump to content
Create New...
  • William Maley
    William Maley

    Hyundai Thinking About Creating Genesis Subbrand

    William Maley

    Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com

    February 6, 2012

    Hyundai could be adding a subbrand to further seperate its upscale cars from its mainstream vehicles.

    “There's a conversation going on within the company that says, Does having the Hyundai badge on the premium vehicles sell more vehicles, or does it restrict us from selling more vehicles?” said Dave Zuchowski, executive vice president of sales for Hyundai Motor America.

    The plan, if put into motion would would replace Hyundai's round "H" badge with a new badge on the Equus, Genesis sedan and Genesis Coupe. The vehicles would be branded as Genesis with an alphanumeric naming system and be sold at Hyundai dealers, not a separate dealership network.

    Zuchowski said a decision hasn’t been made. If if the plan is approved, Zuchowski said it could happen when the redesigned Genesis Sedan and Equus are introduced in 2013.

    Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    Makes sense...separate the RWD good stuff from the FWD appliances. I thought the Genesis models should have been in a separate brand to begin with...

    I like the idea... just as I liked the idea that GM treat Pontiac as such.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Makes sense...separate the RWD good stuff from the FWD appliances. I thought the Genesis models should have been in a separate brand to begin with...

    I like the idea... just as I liked the idea that GM treat Pontiac as such.

    Wish Pontiac had done that..,leave the FWD generics to Chevy and had a small focused line of serious RWD models..

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    This is a major "duh" on Hyundai's part. The Genesis on up are already sold as their own brand with its dealer network (or at least separate facilities) in Korea.

    Given when they launched the Genesis coupe and sedan in the US, they probably thought the investment in a separate brand and dealer network was too risky.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I actually think they are fine with the way it is. Having the Genesis and Equus helps build image for the Hyundai brand and sell more at the lower end. Since the Genesis went on sale, the Hyundai brand has been doing really well. If it isn't a seperate dealer network, or even separate brand (like Ford-Lincoln in one dealer) I don't really see the point of trying to seperate it. Plus the cost, when the Genesis and Equus are low volume cars.

    It is confusing already that the coupe and sedan are both Genesis, if the brand is Genesis do they rename the coupe 3.8C, the sedan 3.8S and the Equus 5.0SE, that is lame.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Hyundai still has too many connotations to low-rent, though the image is vastly improved over the last 5 years, and I don't think the few high-end cars help sell the others. They can stand on their own now. A lot of Genesis sedan owners already replace the Hyundai badge with the winged Genesis emblem. The decision seems easy to make.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Genesis and Equus NEED to be separated from all other Hyundais for one reason: they are actually desirable and they are completely different from all those FWD appliances. If Hyundai wants to compete with Toyota and Honda and Ford and Chevy, Genesis and Equus should have their own dealer network to compete against the luxury marques. Given the value a Genesis sedan is over almost all luxury marques, it is high time they are separate. I might even consider buying one one day (Memo to GM: more RWD please.).

    Then again, if that were to actually happen, what would be Kia's role?

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I think Hyundai's whole car line is pretty desirable right now. Genesis/Equus is about 3,000 cars a month, that isn't a stand alone brand. And they don't have the image to compete against luxury marques. I've driven a Genesis, it is nice car, I wouldn't have a problem buying one with the H badge on it.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites



    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • google-news-icon.png



×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search