Hyundai goes upmarket, with a luxurious statement
Hyundai Genesis - a 4 door luxury push into the sedan market. Click to enlarge.
As the new Hyundai Genesis Luxury Sedan makes it's way to our Bowater Hyundai showroom during March, the motoring press nationwide are being to froth at the statement this vehicle is making, and the quite nice feathers it is ruffling at the top edge of the pecking order.
Dave Leggett from the Waikato Times has this to say.
Hyundai is back in the prestige car market with a four door sedan that aims to take on the best from Asia and Europe. And the Genesis might just be the beginning of a new chapter for the Korean car maker.
The car in the rear view mirror was quickly gaining on us.
It's deep squarish grille, set prominently between the sharp edged lights, looked familiar.
It's huge and it makes a big statement. It could have been an Audi. But it wasn't. The angles on the grille weren't quite right for a model from Ingolstadt and this car was something completely new on New Zealand highways.
The newcomer was Hyundai's new Genesis, the Korean carmaker's move into the premium sector of the market. And its size and styling will help it it fit in as a realistic alternative to similar-sized models from the top European and Japanese brands.
The Genesis was first developed as competition for the German prestige car makers on the North American market and the model is now an established model in the premium sector in the US in both sedan and coupe body styles. But the first-generation car was only available in left-hand drive and New Zealand has had to wait until the second-generation car came along to get a right-hand-drive version.
The Genesis was launched in New Zealand last week just in time for the Cricket World Cup Hyundai is a major sponsor.
The new car is now Hyundai's biggest passenger vehicle. With a length of 4990mm and a wheelbase of 3010mm it is quite a bit bigger than the 4690mm long Santa Fe SUV and it makes Hyundai's latest mid-sized Sonata feel quite small.
It's 13cm shorter. Park the new Genesis in the average car park and there's a lot hanging out the back.
Styling is very much in the current style for prestige autos. BMW's 4 and 6 series Gran Coupes, Audi's A7 and Jaguar's XF all share a fastback styling that hints of a hatchback but isn't. And the Genesis has been styled the same way with a sporting profile that sets them apart from standard sedans.
It's conservative and understated, although the prominent grille makes a bit of a statement and gives the Genesis an identity.
Under the bonnet is a 3.8-litre V6 engine that packs a punch. It will pump out 232kW of power and some 397Nm of torque, driving the rear axle through an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Given that sort of output, Hyundai NZ isn't worried that the V8 engine isn't available for this market. There is no right-hand-drive version of the V8-powered car.
The V6 is certainly impressive enough, delivering sufficient power to take the car from rest to 100kmh in 6.5 seconds. It's effortless off the line, with the transmission seamlessly changing the ratios as it accelerates to a theoretical top speed of 250kmh. And it's all done with the minimum of drama, the engine noise hardly noticeable despite the high revs.
But then refinement has been one of the key aims for Hyundai engineers to work for in the development of this new car.
The bodywork has been especially designed for the reduction in noise and vibration, as has the suspension. The car's aerodynamics have been optimised with shrouds and covers to improve air flow under the vehicle and there is double glazing to further reduce noise from the outside.
The end result is a car that is designed to rival the best around but at a muchreduced price. The Genesis comes to New Zealand in just one model at a one price, $99,990. And Hyundai sees that under$100,000 price tag as being very attractive when compared with that of the opposition where upspec-ing their cars from the base model can result in much higher prices.
The Genesis available on the New Zealand market is as highly spec-ed as it could be.
When Hyundai NZ's Andy Sinclair ordered the car from head office for this market he said he got every feature it could possibly have.
"I ticked all the boxes," Sinclair said.
"Some of the things we ticked we didn't even know what they were."
Consequently the Genesis seems to have everything.
Driving assist features include autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, blind spot detection, rear cross traffic alert, around view monitor and a park assist system. There is active cruise control and a heads up display system around 60 to 80 Genesises a year. But Sinclair admits that there is a big section of the premium market who would be unlikely buyers because brand status was a prerequisite, but he still saw potential for those who weren't so concerned about badging but still wanted a large, rear that features a multitude of information right out in front of the driver. There are CO2 sensors that warn when the driver is getting tired and high beam assist which automatically dips the headlights for oncoming traffic.
But things are taken care of inside the car as well. There is an electric boot lid and powered door latches that pull themselves closed.
The front and rear leather trimmed seats are all power adjustable and the rear seats are heated as well as the front, which are also ventilated. The rear seat passengers can operate the 17-speaker sound system as well as the heating and ventilation through their own controls in the centre armrest. There is a powered rear window blind and screens on the rear windows.
The car's safety systems include nine airbags while there is also an active bonnet which helps alleviate injury if a pedestrian is hit and thrown up on to it.
The premium large sedan market amounts to around 700 vehicle sales a year and Hyundai NZ would like to take around 10 per cent of those sales, or drive car that offered a full range of features. Unlike other premium brands Hyundai has no plans to launch the Genesis as a separate badge, says Sinclair.
Toyota launched Lexus as its standalone luxury brand and Nissan did the same thing with Infiniti. But Sinclair says the car will be marketed as a Hyundai and the car maker didn't see the necessity to create a new brand.
However, the Hyundai nameplate is downplayed on the new model. The brand's symbol is used on the bootlid and under the bonnet and only the Genesis badge is spelt out, at the back and front and on the 19 inch alloy wheels.
Sinclair said he couldn't discount the possibility of the car developing into a range of top-shelf models. A new Genesis coupe is the next likely model although there is no confirmation it will be available in right hand drive. And Sinclair said a SUV must also be under consideration.
