Hyundai wants to expand its range by entering the luxury segment with an all new global sub brand “Genesis”. Hyundai’s new stand alone luxury brand will seek to follow the footsteps of Lexus, Infiniti and will compete with world’s renowned luxury car makers. With an initial launch slated for December 2015, the brand will offer six models by 2020 which will include a coupe, sedan and full sized SUV.
The Korean car maker also stated that the Genesis models won’t bear any resemblances to standard Hyundai cars. Genesis models will be badged with a new wing-type emblem and the names of these cars will start with letter ‘G’ which stands for Genesis and follow the nomenclature of 70, 80 and 90 to indicate its category.
Luc Donckerwolke, who was formerly in charge for the design of Audi, Bentley, Seat and cars like Lamborghini Gallardo, Bentley Flying Spur and Lamborghini Murciélago, will now lead the new prestige division alongside his role as head of the Hyundai Motor Design Center from next year.
The Brand will initially make its way to North American, Korean, Chinese, European markets followed by other parts of Asia. We can also expect them to consider a possibility of entering India in the near future.
Hyundai as a brand known for making value for money products like Grand i10, Elite i20 and Creta in India so stepping into the luxury segment against the well established players like Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Porsche as the south Korean car major lacks the sway of German trio.
Euisun Chung, Hyundai Motor Company Vice Chairman, said “We have created this new Genesis brand with a complete focus on our customers who want smart ownership experiences that save time and effort, with practical innovations that enhance satisfaction. The Genesis brand will fulfill these expectations, becoming a market leader through our human-centered brand strategy.”
Woong-Chul Yang, Head of Hyundai Motor R&D Center and Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor Company said, “The Genesis models will provide technological innovation, excellent driving performance and luxury to customers. Every Genesis model will be created with the needs of our customers in mind, so the resulting car will perfectly meet their needs without any unnecessary burden or excess.”
