Late last year, Hyundai announced it would be spinning off its premium offerings into a luxury sub-brand. Those offerings include the Genesis, the Genesis Coupe, and the outgoing Equus flagship model. The brand will be known as Genesis, flying forward under a winged badge with the goal of bringing customers a different kind of luxury automotive experience.

Join us as we look forward to what you can expect from this new beginning.

 

The Genesis of Tomorrow

 

Before November, we didn’t know there would be a Genesis brand. Now we have an excellent idea of how the brand will look by the end of the decade. Hyundai has six models planned, including three sedans, a coupe, a crossover, and an SUV or larger crossover.

This vision begins with the Genesis G90 flagship sedan, which is already available in South Korea and is expected to reach our shores before the end of this year. Let us illuminate a few reasons you should be looking forward to its arrival.

Joining a Winning Team. Hyundai has brought in top talent to lead the Genesis team. Former Lamborghini executive Manfred Fitzgerald is joining Hyundai as a senior vice president and lead strategist for the Genesis sub-brand. He is accompanied by former Bentley designer Luc Donckerwolke who will lead Hyundai’s Prestige Design Division, using his pen and creative experience to breathe life into the new fleet.

Success starts at the top, but for Genesis to truly spread its wings, it needs help from experienced sales people around the nation. When the G90 launches, you won’t find it at a separate store (not yet anyway). Genesis sales will flow from a “showroom within a showroom,” managed by specially trained brand ambassadors. The luxury brand will put a new emphasis on customer service aimed toward up and coming clientele that are looking for a different kind of premium car. Genesis customers will also receive an unprecedented online service experience, with more details forthcoming.

Supremacy through Safety. On the surface, the G90 might seem similar to competitors like BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz. It’s a long and handsome luxury sedan. It has three engine options, including Hyundai’s first twin-turbo V6 (365 hp) and a top-tier V8 (419 hp). The engine is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and the car is rear-wheel drive (with all-wheel drive available as an option).

It has premium interior comforts as well, including brand-exclusive Concerio Pasubio Italian leather upholstery and real wood decorative inlays. The driver’s seat features a Smart Posture Caring system that automatically adjusts the seat, steering wheel, mirrors, and Head Up Display based on the driver’s height. And of course, the car is library-quiet on the inside thanks to advanced insulation against noise, vibration, and harshness.

What sets the G90 and other Genesis cars apart from the rest of the luxury segment is its underlying philosophy. Genesis is not about including technology for technology’s sake. Instead, advanced systems in the G90 have a focus on safety, leaving out more frivolous systems that will only drive up the price.

Hyundai will make good on this notion with Genesis Smart Sense, a package that includes smart cruise control, lane-keeping assistance, and other technology designed to reduce fatigue. Brake assistance with pedestrian detection, blind-spot detection, and an around-view monitor are also available safety features.

Genesis will carry Hyundai Forward. It’s only because of Hyundai’s strong brand perception as a maker of high-quality vehicles that the Genesis sub-brand is possible. As the Genesis lineup grows, Hyundai cars will improve directly as a result.

As stated before, the Genesis brand is about a focus on “premium performance, not premium cost.” By putting better technology into a diverse lineup of high-margin vehicles, that same technology will appear in volume-selling Hyundai models sooner. For example, tech you see on a G90 might have a shorter wait before appearing on a future version of a Hyundai Sonata.

Hyundai’s chief planners are taking special care to strengthen the brand overall with each new model introduced, and the future could not be brighter as a result.

 

The Genesis of Today

 

To say it again, the future sub-brand owes its existence to the success of the 2016 Hyundai Genesis, which first launched in 2013. The critically acclaimed full-size sedan starts at $38,750 and comes with a 311 horsepower 3.8L V6 engine, 18-inch alloy wheels, and power-folding heated mirrors. Today’s Genesis can be fitted with:

  • Rearview camera
  • Blind spot detection
  • Rear cross-traffic alert
  • Lane departure warning
  • Lane keeping assistance
  • Automatic emergency braking

As you can see, planned features for the G90 and its siblings follow a logical progression.

Buyers also have the option to upgrade to the Genesis Ultimate, which ups the ante with a 420 horsepower 5.0-liter V8 engine, 19-inch wheels, and LED fog lights. You could also opt for the sportier Genesis Coupe. Take our word for it that when you drive a 2016 Genesis, it will give you something to look forward to.

Parkway Hyundai is happy to keep a selection of 2016 Genesis models in stock, so if you would like to see one and take it for a test drive, visit us in Wilmington. We’re just a short drive from Jacksonville, and we can’t wait to see you.