https://soundcloud.com/db_drivenmedia/hyundai-genesis-good-car-can-it-break-into-a-the-luxury-market
Can a leopard change its spots?
In a way Hyundai is facing this dilemma.
They have been known for their relatively low priced cars. The cheap and cheerful.
They have also shown that they can make a quality product having won various motoring awards and recently done very well in American reliability surveys.
But now they have built a luxury car – the Genesis. They are comparing it to Mercedes, BMW and Audi vehicles but it is still priced well below those products. It starts at $60,000 and goes up to $82,000 plus on roads.
Can it break into the luxury segment which is not just about product but also about the brand name
Technology is a major part of the car so to talk about this I have on the line Neville Daniels from techradar.com
- What size is it? It compares in many ways to a five series BMW or a Holden Commodore vehicle.
- How does it ride?
- It has just one engine option a 3.8 litre V6 and so no V8 which is available in the US
- Safety is a big point with the car. It has scored the highest ever rating with ANCAP.
- It has a range of modern technologies, lane departure, blind spot warning, automatic emergency brakes.
- One of the problems will luxury cars is that you pay a lot for the vehicle and then you tend to get hit hard with servicing costs. Hyundai are offering free service for the first five years of the Genesis.
- Technology includes a CO2 measuring device in the car. If it reaches a certain level the car will change the ventilation system to reduce the level.
- They tried to bring in an up market car – the Grandeur – some years ago but it didn’t work. It didn’t have the finesse of a modern luxury car (including now the Genesis). It felt like a low priced car with a good number of extra features. They still sell it in America but not in Australia.
- The model cost steps – $11,000 and $22,000 are relatively steep.
- Who is the market? Clearly they want to get the hire car market. It is not the small size of something like a BMW three series or a Mercedes C class (which are the big sellers). It would be more aimed at the family.
