Genesis Motors

Genesis Motors
Division
Industry Automotive
Predecessor Hyundai Equus (G90)
Hyundai Genesis (G80)
Founded 4 November 2015
Headquarters Seoul, South Korea
Products Luxury vehicles
Owner Hyundai Motor Group
Parent Hyundai Motor Company
Website Genesis.com

Genesis Motors is the luxury vehicle division of the South Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company. Initially envisioned along with the plan for Hyundai's new luxury sedan Hyundai Genesis in 2004, the Genesis brand was officially announced as a standalone marque on 4 November 2015.[1][2]

Manfred Fitzgerald, former director of brand and design at Lamborghini, is senior vice president.[3] Luc Donckerwolke, former design director of Volkswagen Group's Bentley, Lamborghini and Audi,[4] leads the design brand since early 2016,[5] and works alongside Hyundai-Kia's chief designer Peter Schreyer.[6] Albert Biermann, former head of BMW's M performance division, oversees tuning and performance.[7]

History

Genesis EQ900

Hyundai introduced "Concept Genesis" in March 2007 as a "progressive interpretation of the modern rear-wheel drive sports sedan".[8] The idea for the Genesis was conceived in 2003. The body design took three years and the total cost of the program was $500 million over a development period of 23 months. Reliability testing ran for 800,000 miles.[9] Hyundai introduced the Hyundai Genesis in 2008 at the North American International Auto Show.[10]

Chris Hosford, Hyundai's US spokesperson, cited three main reasons for making Genesis a stand-alone brand:[11] A successful seven-year occupation in the luxury car market; the Genesis sedan ranking in the top three sellers in its segment; and customer demand for the Genesis brand.

Genesis announced the launch of its first model, the G90 (EQ900 in Korea), on 9 December 2015. The G90 will also serve as the brand's flagship model.[12]

Future plans

A rebranded version of the original Hyundai Genesis is expected to be launched as the Genesis G80. By 2020, a luxury sedan, a sports coupe, and two SUVs are also expected to be introduced; this would bring the number of Genesis models to six.[1] An alphanumeric naming convention will be followed for the brand; models will be named by combining the letter G with a number (70, 80, 90, etc.).[12] Genesis is initially being marketed in Korea, China, the Middle East and the United States, followed by Europe and rest of Asia.[2][13]

References

  1. 1 2 Kim, Sohee (4 November 2015). "Hyundai launches Genesis premium car brand in bid to end profit skid". Reuters. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Hyundai spins off Genesis luxury brand, promises six new models by 2020 – CNET". CNET. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  3. ↑ "Hyundai Motor Announces Manfred Fitzgerald to lead the Genesis Brand" (Press release). Hyundai Motor Group. 28 December 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  4. ↑ Pinatel, Cédric (22 July 2011). "Design : Luc Donckerwolke, nouveau patron du style avancé chez le groupe Volkswagen". Turbo.fr (in French). Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  5. ↑ Lelinwalla, Mark (5 November 2015). "Hyundai Turning Genesis into Own Luxury Brand". Tech Times. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  6. ↑ Parikh, Sagar. "Peter Schreyer speaks on Genesis G90, brand's design philosophy". steeringnews.com. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  7. ↑ Nelson, Gabe. "Genesis brand born with luxury heritage". Automotive News. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  8. ↑ "Hyundai to Unveil Concept Genesis Premium Sports Sedan" (Press release). PR Newswire. 26 March 2007. Retrieved 12 September 2008.
  9. ↑ Jonathon Ramsey (17 June 2008). "Let there be technology: What's under Hyundai's new Genesis sedan". Autoblog.com.
  10. ↑ "Hyundai Unveils Genesis Premium Sports Sedan". Hyundai. 13 January 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  11. ↑ "Hyundai Accelerates Genesis into Its Own Luxury Brand". Yahoo!. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  12. 1 2 "Genesis Brand Launches its First Model, G90" (Press release). Hyundai Motor Group. 9 December 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  13. ↑ Runk, David. "Flagship Hyundai Genesis G90 luxury sedan debuts in Detroit". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 14 January 2016.

External links

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