UPDATED: First pics of the production Hyundai Genesis

Not bad at all.
T

A Hyundai top story on AutoSpies?

Look, there's a shark, let's jump over it on the heels of AutoSpies!

Genesis is great but my wife wants a small SUV and we recently discovered the Hyundai Santa Fe which can be had with all the bells and whistles at a very attractive price.

Oh my gosh! Can't Hyundai think for themselves? I'm sorry, but this car is EXACTLY the reason I hate Hyundai so much. It's like an Infiniti M, Infiniti G, a last-generation BMW M3, and Lexus LS all got fused together.

Forget about your peace sign.

This is war!

lexusis350, go ahead and waste your money on a Lexus. Hyundai is obviously keeping ahead of the pack by taking the best styling and features of many so-called luxury cars and combining them into an attractive package at a highly competitive price that brand hypers like Lexus can't touch without destroying their myth. Hyundai has put more thought into its products than the other car companies. And, don't tell me that Hyundai is a copy cat because the entire car industry is heading in the same direction based on similar results from virtually common marketing studies.

EnnNorak-

That's just the thing. Lexus CAN'T touch Hyundai's pricing without ruining their reputation. You're right. Hyundai's are cheaply built. They don't put money into their cars. They're piles of junk. And yes, the car market is competitive in design. Take the Lexus GS and the Infiniti M. They're similar, but they don't resemble each other. It's just pathetic when you can actually pick apart this car and tell where they've gotten their design from. Hyundai's are worthless pieces of junk. They have no dignity. They're all about copying, making it cheap, and selling it that way. They can't survive in the auto world without the designs of others. I guess you could say they're parasites.

lexusis350, Hyundai used to be cheaply built some 20 or 30 years ago when 60 Minutes (Dan Rather) did the expose on Hyundai bumpers falling off at the slightest impact. This is no longer the case so I hope that the Koreans absolutely kill their overpriced competition. Anyway, the Santa Fe, as good a value as it is, is no longer at the top of my shopping list. My wife now likes the BMB X3 better because of its slightly smaller size.

BTW, reputation is based on factors such as reliability and durability. A high price alone, especially if the product is overpriced, does not a reputation make. So Lexus has nothing to lose and everything to gain by pricing its product more competitively.

And a Lexus ES

nice...despite all the imitations

I like it

Very nice.

Theres a bit of Honda Accord in the face...not original at all. Steals from every other car maker, just in the same fashion the xg350 stole from Bentley. Really pisses me off

its like they can't design their own car...

it's nice for the money.

can't really expect them to lead in design at half the price...so they imitate like many brands have done in the past...

Wow, looks like the Lexus LS460 has met it's match.

Oh My!

Hyundai doesn't have what it takes to take down Lexus.

Hyundai will kill Lexus in the end because Lexus can't keeep its price competitive. Lexus does not even offer LSD for its big LS460 while RWD and LSD are standard on the Genesis. I have not yet seen the Genesis but my guess is that its seats will be more comfortable than the LS460 seats.

As for copying, Lexus tried to clone the independent seat cushion length adjustment of the Mercedes S-Class front seats but offers it for the LS460 driver only. Similarly, Lexus tried to clone the reclining rear seat of the Maybach, but again or one side only. Who wants to buy half a car?

"its seats will be more comfortable than the LS460 seats"

Have you ever sat in a Lexus LS, the seats are extremely comfortable.

EnnNorak-

I've said this once and I'll say it again: If it seems to good to be true, it probably is. That is what a Hyundai is. It might come standard with all of that, but is it worth it? Is it worth buying a Hyundai? Hyundai is notorious for horrible cars. If their prices are so much lower than Lexus, it's for a reason.

lexusis350, Hyundai pricing is so much lower because competition is so much overpriced. I'm not sure about Hyundai's labor costs because the last time I looked at labor cost internationally was for the electronics industry. I found that, by the time you add all the benefits that Korean workers received at the time, labor cost were comparable to those in the U.S. ; however, that does not resemble auto industry labor costs as labor made up only 2% of the selling price in the highly automated electronics industry sector I looked at. Perhaps someone else can shed more light on the labor cost issue in the auto industry.

zorbeeze, the LS seats are not nearly as comfortable as the S-class seats or the A8 seats. Contrary to Lexus, Mercedes provides its unique independent seat cushion length adjustment on both front seats in the S-Class.

In case you hadn't noticed, good looking cars aren't always GOOD cars. Let's wait until the Genesis gets reviewed before we make ridiculous claims like that.

I'm not a retard and I would buy a Lexus or Infiniti without a second thought over a Hyundai. The real question is: What kind of retard would buy a Hyundai because he thinks it's a luxury car?

lex - you just answer your own question.

i have a 02 civic that has 110,000 miles..i have never done any maintenance except basic tune ups and the timing belt recently. on the other hand, my gf has an 02 hyundai that has gone through 2 transmissions, a major engine problem and a couple weeks ago, it finally died :( i have another friend that had alot of problems with her hyundai before she got rid of it

my point is : hyundai is not reliable..even if they "copy" other designs and offer a good looking car at a decent price, they still need to work on their reliability before they can beat the "competition"

it does look pretty nice..but they have a long road ahead of them

I was replying to someone's comment that got deleted. I thought this was a little random so I just want everyone to know that it had a subject.

i see lexus as a luxury automaker, then infiniti is next, but not acura. lol

also you ask who would buy a lexus or infiniti now? sure, the genesis look good on the outside, but its still a hyundai and because of that, it will gain no respect from customers looking into luxury cars.

I don't know. Hyundai and Kia have filled the gap where Toyota and Honda have not (lower priced, reliable point-A to point-B vehicles). So why not in the luxury segment?

If enough people "perceive" that it's luxury and they are more price-conscious they will buy it. Look how the luxury segment has grown as a percentage of sales over the last few decades. It's not just with cars. It's with everyone.

Luxury diehards who want CACHE would never buy it, but they wouldn't buy an Acura, Lexus, or Infiniti either. They'd go for a Benz, BMW, Audi, Bentley, or Rolls. So, I think there's a segment out there for it, the "wannabe" segment. Obviously, Hyundai thinks it's out there too.

if the Azera went after the LS460...does this go after the maybach?

No, this is squarely aimed at the Lexus LS, like the Vera Cruz aims at the RX. Hyundai is in Lexus's back yard and they are the Asian leader.

Why not save 10k and get a Vera Cruz? It's a nice ride from what I hear.

Too begin with if this Hyundai does compete with a Lexus it will be the GS and not the LS.
Secondly as you stated diehard luxury fans will not buy this and will opt for the Lexus.

I agree. Lexus shouldn't be looking down their long noses at Hyundai. If people perceive Hyundai as "quality" they will start making decision based on price.

Seems to me that Lexus has their head so far up M-B's butt that they can't see what coming around the corner.

Note to Lexus, stop trying to be BMW or M-B. You will never be like them, nor SHOULD you be. You got to where you are by being different.

THEY make driver's cars. YOU make reliable cars. You aren't going to win my M-B or BMW converts. They are two totally different buyers. I know very few people that are on the edge here. You either prefer one or the other.

^^ whats wrong with making reliable drivers cars ie. isf?

you know nothing about cars
you should consider changing your username

this was meant for auto expert

You mean pics of the Toyota Camry facelift?

This really mimics the Toyota Camry. Seriously, I thought Hyundai made ugly original cars, not ugly rip-off bash ups of Toyotas. Not that the Toyota Camry (it looks a bit like the Toyota Aurion a smidge) is that good looking but it isn't bad.

What a joke...When is Hyundai ever going to try and be somewhat original?

LEXUS got a sniff against MB & BM purely on price now Hyundai will break Lexus on price.

Not bad, but those rear lights look like they were ripped of a current E60 BMW 5-Series and slightly reshaped...

I like the way this car looks. By the way, Hyundai has not said they would not establish a premium brand. They have only said it was not likely right now.

Both the BH Coupe and Sedan are pre-cursors to the launch of their Genesis premium brand.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Looks better than the GS without a doubt, not too far from looking better than the LS. But...much cheaper, and in time they will indeed screw Lexus over. Although they will never become Lexus, which is something Lexus infact need to learn when they thought they would become MB when they were established.

I like this. And the coupe they have. They won't take any sales from away from Lexus or MB right now because the perception of Hyundai is still, even though they're light years better now, just another crappy car company. And even though their cars are pretty good now, its going to take them a while before they're taken seriously by the general car buying public. But this is a step in the right direction. Who cares if it looks like an LS or a 5 Series? All design ideas get regurgitated and reused over and over by all the car companies.

What new car out now looks completely original from any other car new or old? I think some of you are upset because they've taken design cues of much more expensive cars and put them on a car at half the price, like its cheapened them in some way. But so what? Lexus, BMW and MB they need this wake up call. It'll only bring about better, more capable(and cheaper) cars in the future. The great thing about competition is that we as the customers will always benefit from it. So I applaud Hyundai and I'm happy to see them making "conversation starting" automobiles.

"What new car out now looks completely original from any other car new or old?"

The Cadillac XLR, Audi R8, Mercedes-Benz R-Class, Lexus SC and Mercedes-Benz CL-Class.

Whether they look amazing (XLR, R8, CL) or not (R, SC), it doesn't matter. They may have somewhat similar silhouettes to other cars (CL) or even a few styling details (big grille/rear lights on R8), but overall they are completely new, refreshing and in the case of the better three, gorgeous.

Doesn't look bad, but I think Lexus will be just fine. Lexus is a premium luxury brand and its sales numbers speak very clearly. I really doubt any of the luxury brands should be very concerned. It may be nice and offer all the bells and whistles, but I just don't see people spending 39k on a Hyundai. The majority of people I know won't even consider the brand for anything. This is not a knock on Hyundai. I'm sure Hyundai will sell their cars and continue to grow and their sales numbers will keep rising. I see this is an upgrade for current Hyundai owners and enthusiast. I doubt many will cross shop a Lexus LS with this car as a lot of people are brand oriented. Don't expect rappers to be sporting Hyundais in their music videos anytime soon.

"but I think Lexus will be just fine. Lexus is a premium luxury brand and its sales numbers speak very clearly."

Not in Europe though, because we don't see the point in paying for an expensive Toyota. Where as Hyundai in their own name, at modest pricing could indeed take Lexus' place for the luxury Asian motor company, although this will take a few years.

"Even if Hyundai put a v12 in their, how would you lure people of that 39k income bracket out their Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, into a Hyundai?"

Because you can get nothing in a Lexus, BMW or Merc, or get everything in a Hyundai, for $39K. That's exactly what Lexus did, and look where they are now. They had ZERO luxury brand recognition then, just like Hyundai.

Compare the front of this car to those of the Hyundai Azera and Veracruz. It's a combination of the two, and IMO, it looks quite attractive.

maybe this could be like the Mazda Millenia, Mitsu Diamante, or as mentioned above, the VW Phaeton. now that I think about it... 39k is steep for a Hyundai, regardless of what features and amenities it may have.

and that trunk lid and the tail lights have a very close resemblance to the current 5-series...

I am laughing at all the "copying" comments

No car design is "origninal" anymore everyone copies off someone

it happens

But that is a small part of the "package"

Not a bad first stab at entering the lux segment. I'll reserve real judgement until I see/drive one in person. Get pissed if you want about the non-original styling, but taking styling cues from successful lux models is not a reckless move. If the looks cause you to think about other luxury marques, then I'd say that Hyundai made a smart move.

Also, the article is in Korean & I didn't see any prices in SKW that would convert to $39k - so where did the $39k price come from?

Assuming a $39k price point, what do you get for "$39k"? A V8, RWD, mid-large sized car w/luxury ammenities... Who else offers a package like this for under $40? No one.

I hope the car is successful & forces other makers to develop less costly RWD platforms. Say what you want about Hyundai, but they are improving with every new model - while others like Toyota & Ford seem to be flatlining.

This is a great car for people with bad credit and lower income families.

The number of comments in this thread tell their own story. Whether negative or positive, you can't argue that people are interested enough to have formed an opinion... It's success in the market place will tell it's own story...

I for one am intrigued to know if Hyundai can acheive what AFAIK no other manufacturer has successfully acheived: offering both value led products AND more upmarket products under one single brand name and be ranked as 'desirable' by the target markets. Luxury EXports to the US was Toyota's approach, and no denying it worked, but does it represent a lack of confidence on Toyota's part when they entered this arena? Will Hyundai stick to it's guns by retaining the one and only brand name for all it's family of vehicles, accepting it will take longer to overcome brand pre-conceptions?

You guys with your copy-cat rants are hilarious... maybe you weren't around back when the first Nissan/Infiniti Q45 and the Toyota/Lexus LS400 came out around 1990. They were complete and utter rip-offs of the BMWs and Mercedes of the time. Afterall, how better to gain market share in the luxury car division than to copy exactly what the successful brands are already doing and do it for less money? Sounds like Hyundai finally caught on and I hope this car succeeds.