Genesis is one car away from becoming one of the greatest
And we didn’t even see it coming
Genesis, the Korean luxury brand has lately been consistently good at creating great cars. Across their lineup of stylish and tasteful sedans and SUVs, they stroke their way through the German competition from Mercedes, Audi, and BMW. Today, enter any of their showrooms and where ever you’ll look, the cars will greet you with their unique exterior design, the beautifully laid out interiors, technology you won’t be sacrificing, all for a competitive price. They have got it all. In fact, there is only one last step the brand has to make in order to become one of the greatest car manufacturers of the modern era. But first, a bit of background.
We did not see it coming…
Back only three years ago when Genesis was only getting started as a separate brand from Hyundai, the brand looked like a lot of other luxury brands at the time: Trying to make a name for themselves in a dying segment. The three cars they originally came up with were the mid-level and sporty G70, the higher-priced G80, and finally, the star of the show known as the G90.
And while the G70 and G80 weren’t all that distinctive from other cars in the same segment, the G90 turned out to be a good value for money as it offered interior quality, passenger comfort, high-class technology, all for a reasonable price. For a well-optioned Mercedes S-class, you could get two G90s. Across the lineup though and for the refreshes to come, the cars clearly lacked road presence and distinction in their styling.
What was also considered a massive strategic mistake was how this new brand launched 3 new sedans in times when Mercedes and BMW had 7 SUVs to themselves. Dealers working for Genesis were on the frontline of this concern. Luxury sedans, in particular, were already dying off and the cars Genesis was making ended up fighting against the very best rivals that had been at it for decades. This and the assimilation with Hyundai being responsible for most of the car and Genesis weren’t gathering a successful story.
It all changed in 2019
This year was, no doubt, the most important for Genesis. It showcased the arrival of the brand new G90 flagship with the only criteria it was missing last time: personality.
This distinctive personality was, and still is, immediately apparent the second you first look at the car. It got one of the most distinguishable and probably largest grille of any production car, a long light bar around the rear in theme with the linear day-time running lights on the other end. I was going to forget, look at the wheels:
Although the material quality and high-end technologies weren’t quite a match for the S-class or Audi A8, the $80.000 price tag for a well-equipped G90 made for a good deal. From then on, the brand unveiled a new sporty G70 and prestigious G80 in 2020 alongside promising information on a top-of-the-line SUV known as the GV80, and 2021 finally brought a couple of more affordable SUVs as well as a shooting brake version of the G70 sedan.
The cars got smoother designs, technology updates, and improvements in passenger comfort while still going for a fair price. The G80, cheaper version of the G90, went up against Mercedes’ equally premium E-class for over $15.000 less.
The lately unveiled GV70 is a shorter and cheaper model than the flagship GV80 SUV only with an added whiff of sportiness.
And the GV60 is an answer to the growing trend of cutting off the rid part of the roof, making the SUV sleeker, trendier, and worst from some point of view such as practicality. It will also stand as the brand’s first fully electric vehicle, therefore perfectly fitting modern times.
On the face of looks, I have to say I find the design very pleasant and nearly cartoonish at the rear and smoother around the front. Once again, the interior is a fresh and modern place to be, giving the Germans something to think about.
So here we are, September 2021, and Genesis has it all: the flagship limousine, distinctive, competitive sedans and SUVs, as well as sportier models such as the G70 with over 300 horsepower and a satisfying driving experience. Most of all though, they have a proper design language and people are making the smart move of heading over to Genesis dealerships.
The only model missing then is…
A halo car.
Think about it, Genesis has every model anyone would ever want. The cars are competitively priced, yet offer similar comfort, innovations, and design to rivals in the same segment. And the way they look makes them distinctive and memorable. What’s really missing though is proper recognition: for people to stop finding similar German or Korean cars cool and make the switch. They need to get talked about from a worldwide perspective.
It’s what Lexus did with the blissful LFA in 2005. What Nissan tried with the insane GT R, and what Ford is still doing today with the GT supercar. In 2007, Audi made the same decision, and it led to unmeasured success.
They came up with an out-of-the woods supercar known as the R8 and since it drove so nicely, sounded great, and went for a good price, this model is what put Audi back in the game of luxury brands.
While the model was good though, Audi’s work didn’t stop there. Prior to the R8’s debut, the entire range was being refreshed. Affordable sedans such as the A4 got a more convincing face. Bigger, popular SUVs came out just a little later and by the time clients were walking into the showrooms to buy an R8, they also had attractive cars to look at and potentially buy, which made Audi successful once again.
So should Genesis go down the same path?
Precisely. The only remaining step for Genesis is to come up with a sensational-looking and feeling, extremely appealing, and well-priced car. Preferably a two-door sports car, supercar, or even hypercar. This model should be on every cover of the latest car magazines, feature on every car-oriented Youtube or TV program, and get the world talking about it. Because when they succeed, customers who won’t even be able to afford one of those will still be walking into Genesis showrooms and then, will want to buy another of their fresh new models that offer part of the same technology or design language for much less money and more practicality.
In March of this year, Genesis showed the world their vision of the future with the X concept.
It’s a fully electric, low-slung, 2-door luxury car that would feast its imaginary customers on technology to spare. Like a good deal of modern concept cars, it features recycled and up-cycled materials inside, the emphasized design language outside with the larger “crest grille” and the double-lined head and rear lights and, well, just have a good look at it:
Stunning isn’t it?
As the name suggests, the X concept is only… a concept car and doesn’t promise any production variant coming soon to our streets. However, if Genesis ever makes this leap and set to give such a car an elegant exterior, turn the interior into an isolated and futuristic place to sit while the car eats up the miles powered by an effortless electric powertrain, this could truly be the beginning of recognition for Genesis and the end of such success for German brands selling their luxury cars in the same segments.
Thank you for reading.
