Spy Shots: Hyundai Genesis Sedan Spotted Completely Undisguised

Looks exactly like a Lexus at a discount.

What a steal :)

Fully agree it's a steal but I'll buy it only if they sell it in Canada at the U.S. price. There is no excuse to price cars higher in Canada now that the Canadian dollar is worth more than the U.S. dollar.

looks much nicer than the cars it's copying

You have to admit it has a nice trunk lid ;)

Why do say "copying"? The whole industry is heading in the same styling direction. More likely is a conspiracy scenario which involves agreement among companies on styling direction.

Being a Azera (great car) owner, I would have thought they would spare the "wood" dash treatment and use it sparingly? Guess not... What I am noticing is the dash controls below the nav screen remind me of a Infinity M45 somewhat.
Trunk lid looks like it's from the 7 Series BMW...?

Just really hope they use a different "leather" for the seating. As our Azera has very fragile surface. My wife wears those jeans with stones, and it's messed of both seats somewhat. Yet has done nothing to my 1998 S90 Volvo, go to show the density of leather... *Sigh*

Looks good.

I hate excessive "wood" dash as it is usually shiny and causes unsafe glare in the driver's eyes. Are you listening Jaguar and Buick?

JAGUAR USES REAL WOOD. BUICK USES PLASTIC AND OLD NEWSPAPER.

It may look real to you but my wife and I test drove a 2008 X-Type and that so-called wood not only caused annoying glare but looked real fake. With all the financial pressures Ford is under, I don't see how they can afford to use real wood any more. Furthermore, Jaguar does not make any claims in its brochures about using real wood so their marketing boys are selling the product short if you are correct that their "wood" is real.

a bmw rear.
a lexus front.
and something else in the middle.

still an impressive car for the money. can't really expect original design in this price range.

Although I like this car, your comment about design/price range is completely off. Good design doesn't cost anything.

good design most certainly costs.

first, you have to hire top talent. that costs LOTS of money. then you need to give them the time and resources to create somthing original and not just copy. that costs LOTS of time and money. then you have to allow them to take risks in order to be original. and that puts LOTS of money at risk.

good--particularly original design--costs plenty of money.

I remember that dash in the last Q45. It didn't work that well in that car. Outside looks ok. I just don't like how they stole so many design elements and tried to Mash them all together. Sort of looks clunky

Good Lord, the back end is right off a 7er, and the dash is out of a RX, and it has an Idrive! is there anything original about this car.

MMI and COMMAND are also iDrive-like yet I don't think that Audi and Mercedes copied off BMW. It's just the logical (and complicated to use) next step to eliminate a sea of buttons on the dash.

I think the back is more of a 5 series.... Hmmmmm I dunno. Def BMW though

you know why it looks fo german at the back? It's because it has been designed by a german. Having said that, I don't like the rear. Honestly, BM's look horrible to me except for its coupes. As for the headlamp design, I think it looks more like its SUV, the Veracruz, than a Lexus.

you know why it looks fo german at the back? It's because it has been designed by a german. Having said that, I don't like the rear. Honestly, BM's look horrible to me except for its coupes. As for the headlamp design, I think it looks more like its SUV, the Veracruz, than a Lexus.

This Hyundai Genesis is like a mullet.

All business in the front and rock n roll in the back.

:(

Can't the Koreans do anything original? How is it that they can go around copying everything, from every body, without reprisal? BMW and Lexus need to sue their asses. The Koreans are like the Chinese at pirating everything now. Neighbors I guess.

Korean made cars are establishing their reputations again now. As I have said before, I got the chance to drive the Elantra recently, and came away very impress with it. Consumer Reports agrees with me. And with a 10 year warranty (which I haven't heard any complaints about, so it seems like it's not a gimmick in anyway), the Hyundais are worth a try for the budget-minded family. But Good God! They need to further establish their reputation by coming up with their own original ideas, not copying everyone else's work!!!

what is "original"? Having 24 engines? Don't get me started on how Lexus is original. As a designer, I think Lexus is boring to look and has only simple lines. Porsche, too, is lazy at designing cars.

By the way, Koreans are original. Except it is your limited knowledge about the country that blindes your rotten mind. Big, Fat American!!

Wow 43yrold, sounds more like you are a 12 year old virgin.

Anyway, if you were rational you would have to admit that this car copies so many design cues from other manufacturers that it does not give Hyundai any objective corporate look. I would be embarrassed to drive such an obvious design rip-off.Hyundai has enough resources to establish their own look.

This is a disappointment-

BTW-calling Porsche design "lazy" ignores the fact that they are an automotive icon with a firmly established design history. Give credit where it is due...

well, Jeremy Clarkson, the most widely known auto journalists, agrees with me, so...

Plus, that's just the matter of personal taste.

I personally think that I could have designed it. You have to admit, the interior of the car could use some more design.

Wow.

Too many cars to list. I see bits and pieces lifted from several cars mashed together into this.

At Sub 30k how can this compete with cars costing more than twice the amount? The materials will most definetly be of an inferior quality, hence the price discrepency.

Here are some clear examples of cars that many thought good-looking, but to me, they are just copies.
Mitsubishi Lancer's rear - alfa remeo 159
Bmw 3,5,7 - a pile of dump
Lexus LS (which I own) cost about 10k less than similarly equiped MB S-class. That doesn't mean it's made with lesser materials, is it?

you need to get laid...

and this isnt a 10k price difference. In the S class' case, its 3 TIMES THE PRICE....30k vs. 90k

I agree with you totally

kaisersozedude, I like watches too but fancy brands like the Breitling are grossly overpriced. I always look for a nicely styled quartz watch in order to achieve the best life-cycle cost and absence of maintenance headaches. It is unfortunate that Breitling does not make more quartz watches. In the car industry, companies like Mercedes use engine size to justify much higher incremental MSRP. In the watch industry, case materials like gold and platinum can be leveraged many times over to boost the selling price into the thousands. I found a large Timex quartz watch at a Florida outlet for $50 a couple of years ago that could easily be mistaken for a Breitling with a quick glance. It had a black dial with Breitling-style numbers and no calendar which is another feature I like.

investor27-You say that the Koreans copy too much.What do you think Japan did when their companies started producing sports and luxury cars. The second generation RX7 apped the Porsche 944.The original Lexus LS400 apped the Mercedes S class.I could go on.As far as I'm concerned there is nothing wrong with it.As far as interior quality I think it will not be too bad at all. Hyundai has been on a learning curve about how to produce a good car. All I can say is the'velearned a lot have gotten quite good a producing a good car.So I would not sell them short.

Exactly, Mazda Miata, for example, tried to emulate the sound that Triumph Harold made when it changes gears. What????? How low is that??? Copy the sound???

triumph harold? herald? heck what?

i believe they tried to emulate the sound of the BEST of the brit roadsters. which mite've been mg, tr3/4, etc. which were fairly common before being outcompeted by the likes of the original datsun 2000s and 240z.

i never ever HEARD a herald, which musta been a rare bird.

and btw, while the miata sound had the brit cars as INSPIRATION, it was NOT gotten on the cheap. from what i understand, mazda tried DOZENS, maybe SCORES or different exhaust systems.

and nothing wrong with trying to emulate a certain sound. that's WHY mazda put so much time and $$$ into the miata exhaust design.

it's also why japanese bike makers started making v-twins and emulating the harley-davidson sound, departing from their MUCH MORE ADVANCED I4 and v4 designs.

it's also why harley tried to PATENT that sound. (unsuccessfully)

the AURAL atmosphere adds a LOT the feeling of driving.

although i do not care for the feeding of 'em, i like many others, LOVE the sound of v8 engines.

you could say that Lexus LS was an inspiration, don't you think? "Trying dozens of exhaust system" is exactly like trying different designs.

As Mazda spent money on trying different exhaust, you could say that Hyundai tried as well.

I keep saying this, but the guy who designed it has credits for designing the new audi TT and some other cars. That's all that needs to be said.

I find it funny how many people say this copies Lexus or BMW...but mainly people are upset over it copying Lexus. Let me just remind you, was it not too long ago that Lexus was designing cars that looked very similar to Mercedes but at a fraction of the cost? In my opinion, Hyundai is smart for using the strategy that Toyota/Lexus did, it works.

back in the 1800s, american companies were copying brit manufactured goods without restraint. even to the point of using similar brand names.

WE were as shameless then, as the chinese today.

EVERY newly emerging industry by nature emulates the pioneers, before developing their own unique designs.

seeing the production model it makes me wonder what is the point of having this car and the Azera. it seems like there should be one or the other, not both.

I see little to no overlap between the two given that Hyundai is positioning this vehicle as a rear drive/mid-luxury/V8 sports sedan...

The Azera (nice vehicle that it is) is much more a Buick Park Avenue by way of Korea concoction.

or given its price point, it could really be seen as Hyundais equivalent, to the Chrysler 300 there isnt really a need for 2 flagship models in the lineup...its like when Mazda had the 929 and the Millenia...its interior looks like an Azera class car. I seriously doubt the Genesis will be any larger than the FULL SIZE Azera, that would take into the size of DTS, Town Car, sized cars. so no this car makes no sense unless it will be a break away car from Hyundai to start a new brand...otherwise have 1 flagship, 1 car in this class the price point is reall right there with the avalon, maxima, and 300 touring/limited and 300c

How about RWD and a V8 engine. Also I would assume it is a larger vehicle. I think thats the point.Don't you?

This is the perfect car for people on a serious budget,trying to look as if they spent the money on a real luxury car.Its like a fake rolex.

After you sell many many fake rolexes...
You will finally have enough $$ to make a REAL rolex.

Hyundai will do just that and emerge as a real significant threat to MB, BMW, and LEXUS.

This is just a beginning.

It looks VERY good from the front, copied or not.

One thing I have to mention: this car DOES in fact have cues in common with other Hyundais. It uses more elegant implementations of the Veracruz's headlamps, and an Azera grille. It also looks similar to the Azera next to it from the rear, although not exactly fluid.

This car looks like an ox.

so wait....Hyundai is giving us a RWD V8 sedan before Acura ( for under 35k),it looks pretty decent ( styling ripoff or not) , and nobody is giving kudos? I think it's great! great for the consumer...and better yet the industry...who will have to step up.

i fully agree!

This car will sell. If you took away the Hyundai logos I honestly wouldn't have known it was one. A good looking car(although with heavily borrowed designs) that will probably attract the wannabe posers first. If it winds up having the performance figures to hang with those cars its copying from it may actually steal some sells from them as well.

Cool...I always loved Frankenstein cars...taking parts from each Luxury Make...lol. Good to know that Auto Engineers can be lazy too ;-)

Ok dassukkuhsp your right in about 50 years they might be a threat.

Yes. 50 years or 100 years, it really doesn't matter. While you and I are stuck cold dead in the ground, they will still be making cars! (Unless you are 0 years old and live 100 years).

for 30k, i think i would still by an ES or TL.

What happened to the finely detailed tail lights on the concept Genesis sedan? Shame on Hyundai for not being original in design and standing on their own merit. Instead they have to copy Lexus and BMW.

An Azera owner

huu76, I think most economists will predict that the Canadian dollar will stay more or less at par with the U.S. dollar for quite a while. The Canadian government will probably not let it stay far above par for too long. The car industry today is totally global so it does not matter if Canadian auto workers make more or less than U.S. auto workers. Right now there are some cars made in Canada that are sold in the U.S. cheaper than in Canada. This is ripping off the Canadian consumer and amounts to dumping in the U.S.

Its about time Canada and the U.S. formed a common market along the lines of the EU. With the Canadian dollar at par today, we could easily adopt a common Canada/U.S. currency and simply exchange our respective currencies one for one for a new common dollar.

Well I guess we can all prepare for a whole bunch of commercials comparing this Hyundai to the likes of Lexus, BMW, & Mercedes. While Hyundai never fails to blow me away with major design theft, I think they've managed to do so this time around.

They've taken S-Class, LS, 7-series, & Infiniti M DNA, mingled it together to form the car that would have been produced had Mercedes, BMW, Infiniti & Lexus all been in bed together.

Let's break it down; the front end clearly screams Lexus LS, the side profile, tailpipes, & trunk-lid are clearly taken from the S-Class, the antenna & chrome striping connecting the taillights are derived from the 7, & the taillights themselves are Infiniti M. The interior has 7, S, & M cues throughout.

The taillights are nothing like the M's...

It's the window profile that is exactly like an Infiniti's. Which, in turn, is very similar to a BMW's.

I drive an 06 Azera Limited as well as an 06 Sonata. I left Acura after 12 years and 6 TL’s(2 car family)and Hyundai is doing an incredible job. Unfortunately there are so many people hung up on badge snobbery. (What me drive a Hyundai?) I see the mighty Toyota is now recalling a large number of Lexus cars and so the beat goes on. The new Genesis looks to be a real winner. The only problem is Hyundai going to support the car or fail like they have with the Azera. They have had such poor advertising, many dealerships are not equipped to deal with the “up scale” customer who wants to be pampered. From a purely “car buffs” vision these are some mighty fine cars and unless you are in the $100,000+ bonus area it’s nice to be in an entry level luxury car without having your pockets picked. I will definitely be looking at the Genesis.

What's that badge on the steering wheel?