With Chrysler and Ford letting the last of the great rear wheel-drive American sedans slowly sink into a cesspit of mediocrity, Hyundai has stepped once more into the breach, dear Kim. The Korean automaker has unveiled the Genesis, saying that the BMW 5-Series, Mercedes C-Class and Lexus IS are nice cars and all, but Hyundai's rear wheel-drive sedan will be a hit because people are SOL poor nowadays they can't afford that fancy foreign shit [paraphrasing]. The Genesis, you see, puts luxury in the grasp of people "who deserve more" (as opposed to all those guilt-ridden people who feel they deserve less– but still manage to eat a lot of fattening food). You want more? The Genesis' creators (God?) benchmarked the Mercedes S-Class for interior space. It's got a more rigid chassis and superior (complex) 5-link suspension than the 5-series and E-class. Which is all well and good, but the Genesis has an invisible touch. While "real" luxury cars grab hold of your heart, the Genesis is like that lover you can't remember because, well, you just can't.
[Reported by Sajeev Mehta]
the big question is whether this can top the original lexus ls400 in impact. I’m guessing it won’t make the same splash for a variety of reasons, but this genesis is still going to be an exceptional automobile. Cannot wait to drive it.
Wow, looks like they cloned the front clip of a Merc. I just saw some other pics on line and the rear lamps look like a new BMW (which looked vaguely Asian-car style anyway, so I guess Hyundai is welcome to them!)
It will be interesting to compare the sales of this Hyundai to the new G8 by Pontiac.
If you are going to copy something then do it right atleast.. this looks abhorrent.
Hmm.. my comment got deleted. Well, I’ll put it slightly nicer: You need to drive the car first before implying that it’s bland.
coupdetat: its bland because it looks bland. The Genesis could drive like the Lincoln LS (or better), but the LS was still a bland looking car that lived a bland life. The Genesis is very likely to follow the same path.
Style is what sells cars in this class.
But I’d argue that a car’s personality is what “grabs hold of your heart”. Remember how boring BMW’s used to look?
I’d love to drive one of these. But if they were going to build a rear-drive luxury sedan and go after the big boys, shouldn’t they have launched a separate nameplate like Toyota did with the LS 400? The Hyundai brand doesn’t inspire thoughts of luxury. I think this is going to be a hard sell, at least in the early years
coupdetat: I’d agree with you, except that I find BMWs understated, not boring. And the Genesis is a hodgepodge of bad styling queues from various manufacturers…both inside and out.
Granted its much better than the Kia Amati, but it has the typical Asian design that sells fine in their home market, but hard to love elsewhere.
And that engine looks like a complete ripoff of the 4.6L Ford V8. Even the coolant passages are similar. Not that it makes my argument, it just shows how derivative the Genesis really is.
i have not driven the genesis (obviously) and have not seen it in person (only pictures). i’d agree that the style is bland, but i’d argue that style only sells cars in the class that Hyundai is comparing this car to: mid and full sized luxury / sport. in reality, this car will compete for buyers cross-shopping accords and camrys. compared to them, this car is a real looker. And, in that class, value sells cars. Hyundai does not expect to lure well-heeled business people from their Mercs and Bimmers. However, the middle class joe-blow with any sense will buy this over the possibly more expensive fully loaded accord or camry.
Stylistically the Genesis is a near clone of the Lexus LS-460 which is ironic because the LS-Series began as a copy of the Mercedes S-Class. The LS succeeded because it was a credible copy of the Merc flagship. It remains to be seen if the Genesis is a credible copy of the Lexus.
If the Genesis succeeds we will undoubtedly see a copy of it down the road from Chery or some other Chinese car maker.
Meanwhile one wonders if anyone has the wit and talent to make a credible copy of the best of today’s German Lux cars, the awesome Audi A/S-8.
I think this car is not going to be able to bring the brand upscale by itself. The comparisons to the Pontiac G8 are unavoidable. Sure, that’s higher up the automotive food chain than Chevy, but still…
Sajeev, I’m interested in knowing what cars you think are “boring” and which ones are “understated”. To me, 90s BMWs were booooooooooooring melted soap cars. The current Bangled Bimmers remind me of TVR, for some reason, except for the 3-Series, which I think is the only moderately good-looking one.
If Hyundai tries to replace the Panther in the taxi business with the Genesis, will they call it the “Abacab?”
In case it’s not clear, the Hyundai pitch did explicitly say that while other luxury cars are for people who “have more,” this one is for people who “deserve more.” But are prospective buyers going to have to prove somehow that they deserve more?
Continuing, Hyundai claimed to be on a mission to bring a “premium luxury experience” to people who’ve never been able to afford one before–i.e. they’re going to steal sales from other cars at the same price point, not from the more expensive cars they benchmarked. In other words, from Buick, Chrysler, Pontiac. Though the G8 is a much different car, with more of a performance angle and much less content.
The intro to the video was hilarious: it showed people reaching to open the doors of a BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, and Infiniti, only to have those cars speed away from them. The Hyundai then drove in from the opposite direction, forcing the other four cars to spin out as they steered to avoid it, and stopped among the people who deserved a really nice car, but previously found one out of reach.
Hyundai is the best lesson for detroit. Simply roll up your sleeves and build cars yourselves. buid platforms yourselves. Build engines yourselves. Koreans also based their cars in 80ies on old japanese platforms, but later they developed their own. Detroit is doing vice versa. Replacing their old junk with modern import ones, losing the last grasp of expertize. Why can`t D3 learn simple rules even from koreans? Or , wait a minute, just learn it from Tata. or Geely, or soon probably Mahindra.
Starting price is to be in mid 40 so I am not sure how many average Joes are going to be able to afford the car.
Hyundai as a nameplate is fine when competing against Corollas and Civics or low level Camrys, anything higher will need a new brand and take years to build.
If VW couldn’t make a go of the Phaton, a very fine automobile according to all reports that I have seen though a bit bland, how is Hyundai going to do that with a very average car (just based on the pictures we have seen)? They ain’t.
That’s “unto the breach” you illiterate hack. ;-)
Sajeev Mehta :
January 13th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Style is what sells cars in this class.
Which class is that? The sub-$40k RWD V8 entry-lux sedan class? And it’s competitors are….?
If you have $38,000 burning a hole in your pocket, and you want to be a little flashier than the guy in the next cubicle, why is a loaded Accord more appealing than this?
Less warranty, less power, more torque steer are big selling points for you?
I think this car will do fine.
Starting price in the mid 40’s? Where did that come from? I’ve never seen any numbers for this that didn’t begin with a 3 at most.
Isn’t starting for the V6 Genesis going to be 30ish? and the V8 35ish? At those rates (prob under 30 after discounts) I’d rather have the Genesis than a 3 Series any day. The problem is there is no way my wife would choose this over a 3 Series, even if it was at Accord prices. It will be continue to be an image problem for Hyundai. I can’t wait till I can get a nice used one for $10K in 5 years for a daily driver. Bad for Hyundai, great for me!
OK, I agree with you…it’s just another car. I also agree with you that if you’re looking for a RWD V-8 ride, pickin’ is thin. I also think that when road test time comes, Genesis will be like every other Hyundai ever tested (for that last few years). As Mr. Farago said so well about the Sonata, ” What do I like about it? Nothing. What do I hate about it? Nothing.” And there you have it: a wildly inoffensive car for the Average Joe that wants something akin to luxury. I also agree that Daddy Warbucks isn’t going to schlep down to a Hyundai store and pick one up as long as BMW, MB, Lexus, Infiniti, (even Cadillac) are peddling wheels.
Worth a closer look. Maybe with steep depreciation they could be the “pre-owned” bargain of the century.
What sells cars in the $30K+ range is often neither style nor performance (how else to explain the Lexus ES350?), but badge snobbery.
I think the most apt VW comparison here is not the Phaeton, but the Passat WR8, which was priced in the high $30s with AWD and something like 275 hp. It was in most respects a very competent car, but its lack of badge cachet and its obvious ties to its cheaper line-mates doomed it to a quick and ignominious demise. People said, “$40,000 for a Volkswagen? For a Passat?” and shook their heads.
Much the same would’ve happened to Lexus if it had been badged as a Toyota in the states. Toyota did the work to establish a second channel that could have the kind of snob appeal the Toyota brand did not, and it paid off for them. Hyundai would need to do something similar, although I’m not sure they’re at a point corporately where they could pull it off. (Having the Kia brand in the U.S. is clearly doing nobody any favors.)
This car reminds me of the first Infiniti RWD coupes. They were poor attempts at grabbing a slice of the BMW pie. But… they got real good real fast.
CarShark : Sajeev, I’m interested in knowing what cars you think are “boring” and which ones are “understated”.
Well aside from the understated BMWs, I’d go with the 300E, the original (Pininfarina designed) Hyundai Excel, the first Infiniti Q45 (compare to the first LS400), the Acura TL, Honda Civics from the 1980s, the original Taurus, Lamborghini LP400…I could go on but there’s no point in that.
But there’s another component to blandness: killing creativity by being overtly derivative.
Asian home market cars are notorious for that. The Toyota Century, Nissan Cedric, Toyota Crown, Hyundai XG/Grandeurs…etc.
So there you have it: my opinions.
And the Genesis fits the bill for the bland category.
Mj0lnir: Which class is that? The sub-$40k RWD V8 entry-lux sedan class? And it’s competitors are….? than this? Less warranty, less power, more torque steer are big selling points for you?
You’re taking the leap of faith that a significant number of buyers will overlook the “H” badge at this price point.
I want to agree with you, but I don’t see it happening.
I have driven the Genesis. I own an Azera which I like very very much, and went yesterday to drive the Genesis, expecting I wouldn’t be able to resist trading. I loved the Azera from the first few corners I took in it. With the Genesis, I took it back to the lot after going around the block. I wouldn’t have even gone to test-drive it if I had known it was rear-wheel drive before I went. The moment I drove it I asked the saleman why it cornered so funkie and in the answer I discovered it was rear-wheel drive. A hugh mistake in the 4-door, but a catastrophie in the Geneis coupe. I can’t believe the decision was made to go rear-wheel drive in either version. Plus, to actually get all the luxery they are talking about, you have to spend $40k. With the phase out of Azera after this year, looks like they are phasing me out as a customer.