Carscoop: Hyundai Genesis

If you were wondering what's next on the Hyundai and Kia Group's agenda of world domination, the answer is the addition of a third brand to the firm's portfolio to compete head on with Japan's Lexus and Infiniti, and possibly even Germany's finest, including BMW and Audi.

The luxury arm would most likely be called Genesis and include the South Korean firm's current rear-wheel drive offerings such as the Genesis Sedan and Coupe, plus the soon-to-be-launched onto the American market, Lexus LS-rivaling Equus.

The automaker, which saw its U.S. market share increase by an overly impressive 50 per cent in the past two years, would further enhance the range of the Genesis brand with a compact sports saloon in the likes of BMW's best-selling model, the 3-Series, and a crossover utility vehicle to compete with the Lexus RX 350.

The creation of the luxury arm is more than just a thought as John Krafcik, president of Hyundai Motor America, told The Wall Street Journal that the company has two branding scenarios under consideration.

The first and most likely to happen would be for Hyundai to launch the Genesis as a sub-brand and sell the cars in separate parts of its own showrooms. The other is to follow in the footsteps of Lexus and launch the brand into separate dealerships. One third option would be for the company to develop the aforementioned sedan and SUV models but keep the Hyundai branding for the time being.

"One of the keys to this plan is how well the Equus does. We don't need to make a decision for some time", Mr. Krafcik said on the branding question during an interview with journalists.

While Hyundai remains open to all options, Mr. Krafcik said that he is most concerned about launching a spin-off brand due to the costs related to the creation of a new network of dealers and that the company would need to make an additional $6,000 in revenue per each car sold by the outlets.

There appears to be a lot of enthusiasm among Hyundai dealers who are almost certain about the creation of the Genesis brand.

"The dealers are excited about the Equus, and it being the lynch pin for this Genesis brand," said Scott Fink, an owner of two Hyundai dealerships in Florida. "We feel like we can do what others have been unable to do. We think we can sell a luxury brand within the house of the mainstream brand."

Source: Wall Street Journal

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Hyundai's second attempt at the luxury segment after the Genesis, the all-new Equus full-size sedan, will arrive in U.S. showrooms in December with prices set at US$58,900 for the Signature version and US$64,900 for the Ultimate that gets all the bells and whistles, the South Korean automaker announced today.

Both prices include a $900 destination charge as well as free maintenance for 5 years or 60,000 miles, a complimentary valet service which includes a dealership employee picking up and delivering the car for maintenance, and an iPad that replaces the traditional owner's manual.

Not surprisingly, the Equus is priced much lower than other entry-level proposals in the in the luxury full-size sedan segment such as the Mercedes S-Class [S400 295HP V6 Hybrid $91,000], BMW 7-Series [740i 315HP six-cylinder $70,650] and the Jaguar XJ [385HP 5.0L V8 $72,700] and Lexus LS [LS 460 380HP 4.6L V8 $65,380].

The Genesis-based flagship Equus is offered exclusively with a 4.6-liter V8 engine producing 385-horsepower, matched to a 6-speed automatic transmission that delivers power to the rear axle.

Buyers of the base Signature model are treated to amenities such as a 608-watt Lexicon audio system with 17 speakers, electronically controlled air suspension with continuous damping control, HID headlamps, front and rear parking assistance system with rearview camera, leather seating, Alcantara suede headliner, driver seat massage, heated and cooled front seats, and heated wood and leather steering wheel.

Those that opt for the Ultimate model will get several additional features including a forward-view parking and cornering camera, power decklid, reclining rear seats with powered headrests, cooled rear seats, rear seat massage and leg support, rear seat refrigerator and a rear seat entertainment system.

"When you're spending this much for a new car, you don't want to feel like you've been shortchanged on engineering, technology or features," said John Krafcik, Hyundai Motor America president and CEO. "Equus Signature has the technology and content of fully-optioned flagship models from Lexus and BMW, while Equus Ultimate delivers a specification approached only by our competitors' low-volume, special-order models."

Press Release:

"At Your Service" Summary
Valet service – The dealership will pickup and deliver the owner's Equus for maintenance, replacement of wear items or warranty work
Replacement vehicle – If alternative transportation is needed while service is being performed, the dealer will provide a Genesis or Equus at no cost
Maintenance – Covers all factory maintenance for the first five years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first
Wear items – Covers brake pads, brakes discs, wiper blades and battery

EQUUS SIGNATURE KEY STANDARD FEATURES

4.6L DOHC Tau V8 engine
Six-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC®
Electro-Hydraulic Power Steering (EHPS)
Electronically controlled air suspension with Continuous Damping Control (CDC)
19-inch chrome alloy wheels with P245/45R19 (front) / P275/40R19 (rear) tires
Four-wheel disc brakes with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and EBD
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with TCS and Brake Assist
Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) system with pre-collision warning
Nine airbags: advanced dual front airbags, front and rear seat-mounted side-impact airbags, driver knee airbag, and roof-mounted side-curtain airbags
Electronic active front head restraints with power controls
Electronic seatbelt pretensioners
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS)
Smart Cruise Control
High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights with LED turn signal indicators
Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFLS) with auto-leveling
Fog lights and automatic headlights
Front and rear parking assistance system with rearview camera
Dual power-folding heated auto-dimming side mirrors with turn signal indicators and approach lamps
Dual asymmetrical exhaust tips integrated with rear bumper
Proximity key entry with push-button start
Illuminated scuff plates, inside door handles and door armrest
Premium leather seating surfaces and Alcantara® suede headliner
12-way power driver seat plus lumbar adjustment and 10-way power front passenger seat
Driver seat massage system
Heated and cooled front seats
Heated, wood-trimmed and leather-wrapped steering wheel
Power tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel
Integrated Memory System (IMS) for driver-side seat, mirror and steering wheel
Leather-wrapped dash and real wood interior trim
Electroluminescent cluster (Supervision) with 3.5-inch TFT LCD screen
Electronic parking brake with automatic vehicle hold
Power windows with auto-down/up
Navigation system with DIS and multimedia controller
Apple iPad interactive owner's manual
608-watt Lexicon 7.1 Discrete surround-sound audio system with 17 speakers
iPod/USB and MP3 auxiliary input jacks and iPod connection cable
XM® Satellite Radio & NavTraffic® with trial subscription
Bluetooth® hands-free phone system
Dual automatic temperature control with air quality system
Windshield-wiper deicer, rain-sensing wipers and auto-defogging windshield with humidity sensor
Electrochromic auto-dimming inside rearview mirror with HomeLink® and compass
Acoustic laminated windshield, front and rear side windows
Power tilt-and-slide glass sunroof
60/40 power reclining and heated rear seats
Power rear sunshade and rear side-window sunshades
Luggage net
Premium-grade floor mats
Premium-grade trunk cargo mat
First-aid kit (PIO)

EQUUS ULTIMATE ADDS ULTRA-LUXURY FEATURES

Equus Ultimate adds or replaces:
50/50 split rear seats (four-passenger seating) with reclining function
First-class passenger-side rear seat: leg support and massage system
Cooled rear seats
Rear-seat entertainment system with eight-inch monitor
Thermoelectric rear center console refrigerator
Rear-seat power up/down head restraints with manual tilt
Rear-seat illuminated vanity mirrors
Forward-view cornering camera
Power trunk lid