Hyundai going luxury in 2008
03-21-07, 12:39 AM
#16
Remains to be seen how their product may shift in the next couple years. I'm skeptical. May be luxury but amongst mid line sedans like Avalon, Camry, Accord, Acura... they have a tough segment to crack there alone. Then there is the gradual shifting I see of American sedans...how many more RWD platforms are on the boards? Whatever becomes, Hyundai has lots of cars to be measured with.
03-21-07, 04:46 AM
#18
Phaeton
I think that 1 thing Phaeton has against it, that Hyundai does not, is the fact that Audi existed. People spending $70k - $100k would probably be more comfortable with the luxury nameplate of the 2.
I suspect that Hyundai is wise enough not to price higher than the 30k - 40k; more importantly it should be priced as a cheaper alternative to an Avalon or even a Maxima. Sure buyers could get an Acura, Lexus or Infiniti in the same price range but I am sure that they are going to play up the full size sedan advantage, not to mention the RWD & 8 cylinder engine depending upon the competition {R U listening Acura??}.
Hyundai's luxury division is eventually going to come -- I know that is the only way I would buy 1 (some luxury car owners would not downgrade to a lower brand but will switch over).
I suspect that Hyundai is wise enough not to price higher than the 30k - 40k; more importantly it should be priced as a cheaper alternative to an Avalon or even a Maxima. Sure buyers could get an Acura, Lexus or Infiniti in the same price range but I am sure that they are going to play up the full size sedan advantage, not to mention the RWD & 8 cylinder engine depending upon the competition {R U listening Acura??}.
Hyundai's luxury division is eventually going to come -- I know that is the only way I would buy 1 (some luxury car owners would not downgrade to a lower brand but will switch over).
03-21-07, 09:16 AM
#19
Lexus Test Driver
I can't think of a new luxury brand that has started since Lexus back in 1989. Lexus broke plenty of ground back then (as they still do) to prove themselves. Given that recently, Hyundai has a line-up and culture more similar to Toyota than any of the german brands, I have a hard time seeing where they can make themselves stand out with Lexus in the picture these days. I can't see them taking big enough strides to wow the public with customer service, technology (Lexus and MB are fighting tooth and nail to do that), luxury or performance that the US has never seen before. All i can forsee them being able to do is being able to out-do the competition with pricing.
03-21-07, 09:30 AM
#21
Lexus Champion
I can't think of a new luxury brand that has started since Lexus back in 1989. Lexus broke plenty of ground back then (as they still do) to prove themselves. Given that recently, Hyundai has a line-up and culture more similar to Toyota than any of the german brands, I have a hard time seeing where they can make themselves stand out with Lexus in the picture these days. I can't see them taking big enough strides to wow the public with customer service, technology (Lexus and MB are fighting tooth and nail to do that), luxury or performance that the US has never seen before. All i can forsee them being able to do is being able to out-do the competition with pricing.
03-21-07, 09:57 AM
#22
Super Moderator
03-21-07, 12:24 PM
#25
Lexus Fanatic
Mazda's Amati never got off the ground, due mainly to Ford's unwillingness to finance it. The first Amati product, the Millenia, ended up a Mazda instead....just as the Avalon, originally scheduled to be a Lexus product, ended up as Toyota's flagship instead.
Last edited by mmarshall; 03-21-07 at 12:27 PM.
03-21-07, 06:42 PM
#28
Lexus Fanatic
I remember reading about the Amati brand a couple of times in magazines and on the internet. I really wish Mazda would have went ahead with this and I think they would be pretty successful if they did. There have been some nice Mazda cars that can't really be sold in the U.S. because they are too expensive/upmarket and would not sell under a standard brand like Mazda.
The Millenia, 929, higher performance RX-7, Cosmo coupe, a small sports sedan sold in Japan and Europe called I think the Eunos, and a possible supercar were all supposed to be sold under the Amati name in the U.S. but since Amati never came about many were dropped and a few like the Millenia and 929 were sold as Mazdas and later dropped because of poor sales. The main car I wish they brought over to the U.S. was the beautiful futurisitc Cosmo coupe that featured a twin turbo 20B 3 rotor with over 300hp, a beautiful interior, and one of the first sat nav systems in a car. It was sold in Japan and some brought over to Australia. This car would have been the biggest competitor to the SC300/SC400 at the time and outperformed both. I liked the last generation 929 and thought it was one of the better looking sedans to come out in a long time. The 929 had a solar cooling system that would air out the interior from the HVAC system when the temp got up too high so your car never felt like a oven when you got into it. There would have been an updated 929 and true RX-7 if they could have been sold under an upmarket Amati brand. Just imagine all the nice upmarket cars Amati would have if they existed now that just can't be sold under the Mazda nameplate.
The Millenia, 929, higher performance RX-7, Cosmo coupe, a small sports sedan sold in Japan and Europe called I think the Eunos, and a possible supercar were all supposed to be sold under the Amati name in the U.S. but since Amati never came about many were dropped and a few like the Millenia and 929 were sold as Mazdas and later dropped because of poor sales. The main car I wish they brought over to the U.S. was the beautiful futurisitc Cosmo coupe that featured a twin turbo 20B 3 rotor with over 300hp, a beautiful interior, and one of the first sat nav systems in a car. It was sold in Japan and some brought over to Australia. This car would have been the biggest competitor to the SC300/SC400 at the time and outperformed both. I liked the last generation 929 and thought it was one of the better looking sedans to come out in a long time. The 929 had a solar cooling system that would air out the interior from the HVAC system when the temp got up too high so your car never felt like a oven when you got into it. There would have been an updated 929 and true RX-7 if they could have been sold under an upmarket Amati brand. Just imagine all the nice upmarket cars Amati would have if they existed now that just can't be sold under the Mazda nameplate.
Last edited by UDel; 03-21-07 at 08:10 PM.