mmarshall

I can't speak for the 2016, but the 2015 5.0L RWD I sampled last year was almost pillow-smooth over bumps, yet still had decent handling. (That was a major improvement from the 1Gen version, which, IMO, was stiffer than it needed to be). The new 2016 5.0L uses very low-profile 35-series tires in back, with the same 45-series in front, so I don't know if the same ride comfort has been carried over.

spwolf

Azera will NOT be under Genesis brand.

Hyundai wants to do BMW/MB/Lexus competitor... they already said they will add entry level RWD.

So they will have G70 (C/3/IS), G80 (E/5/GS) G90 (S/7/LS) as well as SUVs with AWD which will likely be FWD based but AWD.

After today's PR, it seems that distributors will decide on local stores, which makes sense - that means that in major US markets, they will likely have separate Gensis stores.


p.s. naming still sucks. Just like Infiniti, they are trying to confuse people into thinking lesser models are more due to the name...

spwolf

since i worked on dealer side of things and now I go to Toyota store with my Lexus, there is simply no way you can get same service in a store that services Hyundai Accent at the same time as Genesis G90. You can possibly get 10% cheaper service though but you wont feel like luxury buyer.

mmarshall

it doesn't need to be. The Azera competes in a lower vehicle-class....with the Toyota Avalon, Chevrolet Impala, Nissan Maxima, Ford Taurus, and its own Kia Cadenza corporate brother. Kia does not have a U.S.-market vehicle that competes directly with the Genesis...its K900, though done on the Genesis platform, competes more with the Hyundai Equus.

(I've driven the K900, and IMO, it is nice enough for the new Genesis division, but Hyundai apparently is not going to include any Kia-badged vehicles in it)



Not only that, but consider this...............now that the new Genesis division will have the copy- rights to the "G"-number designations, Infiniti couldn't go back to it even if they wanted.

Depends on the specific dealership...and just how committed the owner/managers are to serving their customers. My brother's Kia shop, for instance, does things for him that some Tier-1 shops don't.

Toys4RJill

And the Buick Lacrosse.

mmarshall

The LaCrosse, market-wise, is considered one step above the Impala/Taurus//Azera class (which is why I didn't include it). Compared to Toyotas, the LaCrosse fits in somewhere between the Avalon and Lexus ES350. But, the catch is that the new Impala actually drives as well or better than the LaCrosse. It caught everyone by surprise.

GM is one of the few exceptions in this area....it still has three levels of sedans (Chevy/Buick/Cadillac), where other corporations usually have two levels at the most. Ford used to have three levels of sedans, of course, until they dropped Mercury...and Chrysler had three levels until they dropped Plymouth. Buick, right now, is in that in-between level (also once shared with Oldsmobile and Pontiac) that Mercury used to have....their closest competitor is probably Acura, which is clearly not Tier1. Hyundai, of course, with their new division, will now also have two sedan levels.

dseag2

Agreed. But this could work and I'll be quite anxious to see it in its final form.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

yes, i have confidence that they can make it happen -- a luxury coupe. just that the current one when i came out i was like wtf (given how good the genesis was)

SNiiP3R

iTrader: (3)

This move will boost the Lexus image even further. Right now when most people think about luxury brands, they think Mercedes, BMW and Lexus. With Genesis in the mix, people will see Lexus in the same group with BMW and Mercedes and Genesis will be where Lexus is right now.

I know to us Lexus is on par with the Germans, and to some extent it is even more luxurious. But try explaining that to the rest of the world......

geko29

They wouldn't include the K900 in the Genesis lineup because it's already there. The K900 and Equus are the same car, with slightly different styling.

mmarshall

Yes, they all three are derived from the same platform, though not all are quite the same size. My point was, though (and this is just my opinion, not necessarily fact), the K900 is actually a nicer-driving car than the Equus, with a noticeably smother ride.

JT4

Definetly about time, but I wonder if it's a little too late.

I feel they needed to introduce the Genesis brand in stand alone showrooms from the beginning just as Lexus, Acura and Infiniti did. But IMO it was even more important for Genesis to distance themselves from Hyundai from the beginning because unlike Lexus, Acura and Infiniti, Hyundai is still (maybe unfairly) perceived by a lot of people as making inexpensive, unreliable cars. A stigma that Toyota, Honda, and Nissan doesn't have.

If I remember correctly Hyundai introduced the Genesis in 2007 or 2008, and now some 8 years later they finally spinoff the brand. But the problem is over these 8 years people got used to looking at the Genesis in Hyundai showrooms as a Hyundai, which IMO was not good for the Genesis brand. Especially since the Genesis was supposed to be Hyundai's luxury brand to compete with the likes of MB, Lexus etc..

So yeah, I guess it's better late than never. But I wonder if they "missed the boat" by waiting so long

gyrase321

Well, there was this thing called the "global financial crisis" in 2008 to 2010 which derailed many people's plans at splurging on luxury goods.

chikoo

^ The original intent was to spinoff a new brand but the economy was tanking and they chose to ride it out under the same brand and wait for the opportune moment.

mmarshall

Well, IMHO the 1Gen Genesis sedan, though generally a nice car, wasn't really deserving of a luxury/premium status. That is not the case with the 2Gen version, which (again, IMHO) is a superb car in almost every way. You could say that the car is now, finally, ready for position it will be in.