How Hyundia losts its mojo

A rather stumbling article. Hyundai's issues are fixable. More crossovers are on the way. Peter Schreyer needs to sharpen his pencil and put some style back into Hyundai and Kia. Hyundai's retreat from style to generic was an odd move. The irony is that Hyundai's sales really aren't that bad.

I normally do not post articles as most are short on valid points, but this was an exception. I like Kia and Hyundai as brands and hope they are successful, but I do think they have lost their momentum and need to step up their game. I think their focus on making a luxury brand has taken away their focus from their mainstream brand, and right now both brands are suffering. The article is spot on that Genesis should have focused on having at least 2 SUVs ready to go before announcing their move into the upscale arena.

The Telluride should be a Genesis.

In my area - Hyundai is still considered the low end entry level vehicle - and they are heavily discounted. However - their prices are no longer that much cheaper than some other competition - and that is why they are not selling as well. There was a time when the prices in the paper were thousands below other brands - but no longer. Dealers are trying hard to move (expecially Kia) them upward - but people are not buying it. Then - add in the recent restyle - which took Hyundai TOO conservative - which cuts off sales to younger buyers. I don't believe that "Genesis" nameplate will be successful until it becomes a separate dealership - or at least a separate building or sales floor. People will still associate it with Hyundai - and it won't sell to "prestige" buyers.

AND all of us KNOW that buying a Genesis - is for people who cannot afford the real thing!

As usual Tom, your lack of information and snobbery are comical.

PS: It's "especially" not "eXpecially".

Here Hyundai/Kia products aren't any more discounted than Toyota, Honda, Ford, or Chevy. Everyone is discounting heavily these days, but here the heaviest discounts on brands are at Nissan, Mitsubishi, Dodge/Chrysler, Acura, VW/Audi, BMW, and Fiat as those brands go for volume at any cost.

Genesis will have a separate sales floor. At least that is the plan rolled out to dealers for expected renovations. Genesis vehicles are not to be intermingled with Hyundais.

And that is the Problem - Matt. When Hyundai and Kia WERE more heavily discounted - they sold lots of them - but when they don't discount them (And note that I said that above Matt - that their prices are no longer much cheaper than the competition) - the are not selling as well. And your lack of reading skills - Matt - show your opinion to be ignorant.

ANd I do not agree that Kia and Hyundai have to learn to be a true leader in the industry either - for Decades - Toyota has been selling well without being a "leader" in new technology. The problem is - Hyundai earned its reputation as being a CHEAP entry level vehicle producer - and some of the early Hyundais were really horrible - but they sold because of price. Now - with the workers in Korea looking for higher wages and benefits - JUST as happened to the maturing Japanese workers years ago =- Korea is no longer the place to manufacture cars that mostly sell on Price.

As far as a Genesis version of the Sorento - Nonsense to those who say it will compete with Lexus - the problem is - it is STILL a Hyundai - and the people who buy Lexus - aren't buying Cadillacs - much less Genesis - where buying a genesis is simply telling your neighbors that you can't afford the real thing!

Hyundai/Kia/Genesis need to figure out how to be a true leader in the industry. That's how you solidify a reputation and a legacy. If the car industry were to end today, so many other companies would have an amazing legacy to look back on, including Tesla which is a much younger company. I'm not sure that Hyundai/Kia could do the same. So many other companies are constantly innovating and bringing original ideas and concepts to the industry. Hyundai/Kia and now Genesis are taking already-existing concepts or technologies and repackaging them. Honestly, I can't think of a single original innovation that Hyundai/Kia has brought to the table, whether in design, safety, performance, engineering, marketing strategy, or anything. Until that happens, it's hard to be considered "the option" vs. "another option".

The KIA Sorento is a rock solid 3 row SUV, and I know selling very well. It looks vanilla, but then competes against the Highlander and Pilot, so that's a wash. Create a Genesis version of the Sorento, and they will have a big seller on their hands.

Agreed. A Genesis version of the Sorento could really give the Lexus RX and MDX a run. Both the RX and MDX are top or strong sellers and Genesis can take a chunk of that with a really good crossover.