Hyundai’s newly announced
Genesis luxury brand (not to be confused with the Genesis coupe and
sedan) has some grand plans, according to the Korean automaker’s U.S.
chief.
Hyundai Motor America
CEO Dave Zuchowski has confirmed its Genesis sub-brand is working on a
compact sport sedan to wage battle against German’s core luxury players:
Audi’s A4, BMW’s 3 Series, and Mercedes-Benz’s C-Class. This news helps
clarify Hyundai’s vision for its Genesis brand: to elevate the
manufacturer to the realm that just decades ago Japanese automakers like
Lexus struggled to infiltrate.
In
addition to the 3 Series sedan rival, Zuchowski suggested that a
crossover is on the way. This isn’t much of a surprise since its slated
rivals are throwing themselves full-force into all manor of crossover
designs. For Genesis to effectively compete, it will need at least a
pair of crossover body styles to lure shoppers.
Also read:
For
an indication of the design direction Genesis plans to take, Hyundai
revealed the Vision G Coupe Concept ahead of this year’s Pebble Beach
Concours d’Elegance. Its striking design, inside and out earned praise
and we’ll likely see several styling cues make their way into Genesis’s
first planned model: the G90 sedan. Set to replace the Hyundai Equus,
the G90 will be a full-size luxury model serving as the brand’s
flagship.
Six models are presently in the works, including a
replacement for the Genesis sedan (at least in part because its name is a
bit confusing) and its coupe derivative. Add the smaller sedan and its
crossover counterpart to the mix and there’s only one other spot on the
roster to be filled.Also read: Nissan debuts the all-new 2016 Sentra at the LA Auto Show
Unlike
Nissan/Infiniti and Toyota/Lexus, Hyundai doesn’t have immediate plans
to add Genesis-specific showrooms or even force Hyundai dealers to sell
Genesis models. Zuchowski stated that he believes dealerships will
naturally want to sell Genesis models as more are offered and consumer
demand grows.
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