Genesis Brand Ignores The Japanese - Focuses On Germans With Plug-in Hybrids

Hyundai's Genesis luxury brand is barely off the ground but already it plans to enter the plug-in hybrid market, a move that echoes the alternative-fuel strategies of BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

The Hyundai and Genesis brands are working on multiple plug-in hybrids that will be an intermediate step before hydrogen fuel cell vehicles take hold in the coming decades, Dave Zuchowski, CEO of Hyundai Motor America, said in an interview.

"Some of those [plug-in hybrids] will take the form of the Genesis side of our business," Zuchowski said. "We believe alternative-propulsion engines are going to be really important -- even more important in the luxury market than they are in the mainstream market."

mpls - 5/9/2016 4:21:54 PM

+2 Boost

Another failure by the German, looks like a Mazda with ankther front grille

bw5011 - 5/9/2016 4:55:42 PM

+3 Boost

Quick somebody get mpls a map!

TomM - 5/9/2016 5:18:50 PM

+3 Boost

I am missing the "Japanese" point of the headline - the article never mentioned them. And volume plug in hybrids came from the USA first.

mpls - 5/9/2016 6:33:27 PM

+1 Boost

If I'm not mistaken the head of design at Hyundai is a German..

MDarringer - 5/9/2016 8:22:30 PM

+1 Boost

@mpls, you do know the Genesis is Korean COMPANY, right?

Is Ford a British company because it's head designer is British?

Is Cadillac South African because of De Nysschen?

The point is that companies have leadership sometimes from countries not native to them, but they still retain the culture of the home country.

valhallakey - 5/10/2016 1:13:10 AM

+1 Boost

Agree with the direction and the car pictured looks nice to me, clean lines, no crazy grill, not overwrought at all, unlike what quite a few of the Japanese brands seem to be creating lately.

HughJass - 5/13/2016 1:26:55 PM

+1 Boost

Please, the German plug-in hybrids run for about 50miles before they go into V8 gas burner mode. Toyota owns the hybrid market so of course the Koreans won't challenge them, even if they have to sell at double the loss to get customer interest.