Genesis News: Genesis To Focus On Credibility, Not Volume

[William Maley]

As Genesis begins to find its feet and start building out its lineup, its focus will be building up credibility as a competitor to the likes of Audi, BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz. Worrying about volume and sales expectations will not be a high priority. 

“It’s about establishing a brand, establishing a credible brand,” said Genesis boss Manfred Fitzgerald to CarAdvice.

“We are in here definitely not to lose money, but I couldn’t tell you [about volume expectations] because it’s not our priority, because if I was thinking about that it would be something distracting and what might have caused the wrong answers to some of the questions here. So we are focused on showing our competence in design and also what we can deliver to the customer in terms of service and experience.”

Currently, Genesis' lineup is comprised of the G80 midsize sedan and G90 flagship. In the coming years, the brand will launch the G70 compact sedan, two crossovers, and a GT coupe.

One vehicle you will not see coming from Genesis is a supercar or a high-end performance car.

“I might not be your typical marketing guy, I don’t believe in target groups, I believe in doing great models and creating great products – and hopefully there will be many people that love them and fall in love with them and that’s it. If you need a halo vehicle? That’s not our spiel.”

Source: CarAdvice
Pic Credit: William Maley for Cheers & Gears

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[smk4565]

Hard to build any credibility if you don't sell any cars.

[riviera74]

The Genesis JUST became its own car marque under Hyundai within the last 18 months or so.  Give the Genesis brand another five years before you write them off.

[Drew Dowdell]

Genesis certainly feels credible when I spend a bunch of time in a G90 last week. 

[smk4565]

I am not writing them off, I liked the original Genesis a lot.  But you have to have some sales volume to gain traction and look desirable.  Hard to judge them when they only have alt a line up, but their interiors aren't as good as European competition and they don't have turbos on their V8.  They still have that nice Hyundai vibe but they aren't charging Hyundai prices.

[ccap41]

On ‎4‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 3:35 PM, William Maley said:

As Genesis begins to find its feet and start building out its lineup, its focus will be building up credibility as a competitor to the likes of Audi, BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz.

Ouch.. didn't even mention Cadillac...

2 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Genesis certainly feels credible when I spend a bunch of time in a G90 last week. 

How do you like them? They've very intriguing vehicles now that they are separated from Hyundai and have their own chassis and engines.

[smk4565]

I think a smart move would be for them to go heavy on the luxury side and less so on the performance side.  They will never out performance the Germans, so better off to focus on luxury and go after buyers that don't care about performance.  Lincoln is trying to do that, but with Ford front drive chassis, Hyundai actually has some rear drive platforms that they can give a good ride quality too.

[Drew Dowdell]

4 hours ago, ccap41 said:

Ouch.. didn't even mention Cadillac...

How do you like them? They've very intriguing vehicles now that they are separated from Hyundai and have their own chassis and engines.

This was not a drive, it was just a crawl all over the interior.  For most people in this class, the G90 is a very credible entry.  There are only a couple of places where the technophile in me would consider it a letdown.  It only has one USB port for the front and it is awkwardly placed if you like to keep things neat.  The entertainment system's USB interface with Apple music was terrible, interfacing with Android was non-existent. Kia's own UVO entertainment system is easier to use and features CarPlay and Android Auto. I fiddled with it enough to hook my android up via Bluetooth and the sound system was very good, but not excellent. The Germans top sound systems and Cadillac's Panaray are all above the Genesis in sound quality.

However... if you're a certain demographic.... wealthy, not a badge snob, not an extensive audiophile or technophile, the rest of the G90 is a very comfortable place to be. 

Would I spend $74k on one like the one I sat in?  Probably not. But it is just about the only car that has this kind of size at this kind of price. 

Oh... and I guess I should mention: $74k is the price of a LOADED V8 AWD G90.... it's also the price of a BASE Lexus RWD V8 LS, probably it's most direct competitor. 

[David]

@Drew Dowdell How does it compare to the Cadillac XTS?

[Drew Dowdell]

Cue with Carplay and Android auto is better. Sounds about the same as the regular Cadillac Bose. (panaray is only on CT6 and I think Escalade). 

The G90 feels bigger because it is... Especially in width. XTS interior is showing it's age.

The CT6 is the more apt comparison and I think Cadillac did the better job on the interior there.