Hyundai is seriously trying to woo more upscale customers ever since it has spun-off the Genesis series as a separate luxury brand. The 2018 Genesis 80 sport is the latest model in the series and it promises to be a powerful car in the sports sedan segment. After all, the sports sedan is equipped with a twin-turbo V-6 engine that delivers 365 hp as the rear wheels kick up dust on dirt tracks. The model comes in front-, rear- and all-wheel drive. Additional features like the power liftgate, the power locks and a panoramic sunroof makes it an attractive car in the $50,000 - $70,000 price segment.
The 2018 Hyundai G80 appears to have delighted everyone as no one expected Hyundai to deliver a premium product that is worthy of respect. Hyundai has placed a big bet on Genesis and it expects it to capture premium market just as Lexus did for Toyota. In fact, Hyundai wants to position the G80 as a car that is more sporty and stylish than the Lexus. People who have test-driven the G80 are quite impressed by the car’s firm and responsive handling. But the road to capturing the luxury crown will not be easy for Hyundai.
Hyundai has always been perceived as a low-cost brand that sells to the mass market. Hyundai will need to take cues from Toyota succeed in its rebranding efforts. Toyota created Lexus as a separate identity that provided altogether a different level of service than its parent company. The separate identity helped Toyota to not only broaden its premium product line but also quickly respond to the market changes.
Toyota spent nine years of dedicated branding efforts to establish Lexus in a market that is usually dominated by European car makers. All that can be said is that Hyundai’s Genesis product line is nice but the Korean car-maker will have to play its cards right for avoiding brand dilution.
