[tseemann]

Originally Posted by skim7x

Btw, has anyone seen the HKS Hyundai Genesis Coupe?

^pretty baddass

Hmm - I do believe that I have seen it somewhere before ... let me think ... ah, yes, now I remember:

[bimmerbimmer]

Originally Posted by Kenny@JleviSW

Agreed. I've said it before and I'll say it again here. People can hate on other brands all they want but the truth still remains that the competition is slowly catching up and that BMW is not the greatest car in the world. If other makers ignore Hyundai like how the Big 3 ignored the Japanese competitors back in the day, they will pay the price down the road. Sure people are hating on Hyundai because it's not a luxury name like BMW and it's cheaper. But I guarantee one day it will be a household name and some of you guys might actually end up owning one.

Agreed.

Hyundai IS already a well known and trusted household name in some parts of the world.

[gonzo]

btw, Pacman328

hyundai is a korean brand

and pacman was invented by the japanese




I couldn't help it.

[StewtheBassman]

Originally Posted by tseemann

Hmm - I do believe that I have seen it somewhere before ... let me think ... ah, yes, now I remember:

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!

[GreenThree]

Originally Posted by BK

They've come a long way.

Very nicely done!

This car actually caught my eye. One major downside, is it does not have AWD, so it will not appeal to this group, however in terms of value, and "bang for the buck" I think this car will actually do pretty well.

[im spencer]

Originally Posted by BK

They've come a long way.

That is the most ridiculous advertisement I have ever seen! HAHAH what is the relevance in it costing 995,005 cheaper than a million hilarious

[Neil]

Those who have talked down about this car obviously haven't been in it or driven it or they'd have a different opinion. People see a badge and instantly judge.

Actually if you go to the Hyundai Genesis forums and see who have purchased the cars (there is a thread called what car did you trade in) the majority have traded in BMW 5 Series, Lexus GS, Infiniti Q, and MB E Class cars to "downgrade" to a Genesis, which in most of their opinions, dealer experience aside, is nearly equal or better than their previous cars at less of a cost.

[Spec 1]

I'm going to go test drive one tonight or tomorrow. I've had my eye on this through development and this car is being touted comparable to a Lexus. It's their first car towards a premium brand of vehicles.

I'll update with my opinions.

[StewtheBassman]

They have the V-6 at my local dealership, no teh package.

I will wait 'til the Tau is there with the Tech package.

[stickypaws]

As already mentioned it took a while before any Japanese product was accepted as something of quality. Now we look for that Made in Japan label as a sign of high quality (over Made in China, as an example.)

An analogy to this is the 35mm camera. For decades, the German brands of Leitz (Leica) and Zeiss were the epitome of the highest quality in lens and camera design. Photojournalists throughout the world used a Leica rangefinder or a Zeiss Ikon.

Then the Japanese literally copied those cameras. The Nikon rangefinder and the Canon rangefinder were slow to be accepted, but eventually caught on. Later came the SLR cameras and now, DSLRs.

Now, Nikon and Canon cameras are no doubt known to just about everyone on this forum. But I'm betting only a few know Leica or Zeiss.

Nikon and Canon have surpassed Leica in technology and in sales. However, there still are those who prefer the feel, the construction, and the quality found in the German brand. It doesn't perform really any better (although that is debatable), but the Leica costs over 3x as much as its Japanese counterpart.

But those intangible characteristics of the German made Leica still keeps it selling. The same reason why some people will still prefer a BMW over a Hyundai despite the price difference, and despite the performance gap narrowing between the two brands.

[Neil]

This being their first luxury car and having really only been out for 2 months it is really hard to say where it lies yet in comparison to your analogy with Canon as Canon has been around for years and now with Nikon pretty much control the professional market. Point in case would be looking at all the L lenses at the Michael Phelps swims at the Olympics.

I think we probably need 10 or so years at least to let Hyundai introduce new products and refine their first offerings. They do have a lot of catching up to do in terms of brand recognition and prestige, but to hear people say things like "its still a Hyundai" or "it's crap" etc are just unfounded.

I personally think they are more of a challenge to BMW in the future than Lexus ever was as they tend to listen to what people like, tweak as necessary, and have already shown to develop the coupe with the help of tuners to give that market what it said it wants.

[calvino]

is a Hyundai, they are targeting a different market. everyone knows that BMW is superior, they have a pedigree behind them. I think if BMW put their emblem on a dead cat someone will buy it.

Hyundai should give the genesis to top-gear.

anyways their car is not even close to the ultimate driving machine

[BMWCali]

Originally Posted by Kenny@JleviSW

Agreed. I've said it before and I'll say it again here. People can hate on other brands all they want but the truth still remains that the competition is slowly catching up and that BMW is not the greatest car in the world. If other makers ignore Hyundai like how the Big 3 ignored the Japanese competitors back in the day, they will pay the price down the road. Sure people are hating on Hyundai because it's not a luxury name like BMW and it's cheaper. But I guarantee one day it will be a household name and some of you guys might actually end up owning one.

I guarantee you I will never own a Hyundai. I bet the farm on that.

[evoi19]

it's funny how so many people here are badge whores...

Car looks great imo. The coupe looks decent too!

[Kit523]

Originally Posted by yoyeewee

I'm sorry. Even if you sell one to me for $10000, I wouldn't buy it. Even if you give me a Hyundai for free, I wouldn't take it. If I can't drive a BMW, I'd rather drive a Honda over a Hyundai.

i have to disagree with u
if i can get a hyundai for free ....i will be dying to get one ....
i will sell that shit and get the money to mod my car!!hahah!

[Draman]

I went with a friend of mine to test drive 1 of these...sporty it is not. I don't care what they say the thing pulled on a skidpad the car handles like a pig. They should market this thing with comparisons to Lexus because it drives like a sloppy Lexus much, much, much more than it drives like a BMW. It does, however, look nice and is an exceptional bargain.

There are two big mistakes I see Hyundai making that I think may prevent them from really being able to compete with the big boys in the luxury brand game:

1) The brand as a whole is completely lacking in any kind of coherent design philosophy. None of the cars share any similar design traits; you'll never see 1 on a road and go "That's a Hyundai". The design cues for the Genesis are also blatantly stolen from other makes, there's not 1 unique or original line on the entire car, inside or out. It's like they just copied random components from a variety of cars down to the exact measurements on parts, then threw the whole thing together. They did a good job of making the car come together in the end (it's actually very aesthetically pleasing, both inside and out imo) but the fact that it's just a copy of other cars is very annoying (at least to me).

2) They didn't make a luxury brand separate from Hyundai. Lexus, Infiniti and Acura all became at least relatively accepted as luxury name plates because they were distinct from their working collar brethren (Toyota, Nissan and Honda obviously). I really doubt anyone is going to go out and buy a $45k Genesis and proclaim it to be a high end luxury car when they're driving down the street next to a brand new $9000 Elantra. Regardless of how much anyone says they're not a badge whore, I would bet 90% or greater of luxury car buyers bought their car at least in part because of the prestige of owning a luxury name plate. Hyundai cannot meet this demand because they failed to create distinct brands (and their other brand, KIA, pretty much makes Hyundai clones, which makes no sense from a business stand point...).

PS: It was hilarious when I saw a commercial earlier today for the Genesis. The following commercial was for a local Hyundai dealership and it was like 1 of those terrible commercials you see for something like monster truck rallies (SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY, BE THERE!). They actually were advertising brand new Elantras for $8000 or less

[eleven11]

I briefly saw the exterior of a Genesis last weekend. My immediate thoughts: S-Class front, 5 series tail, BMW Sharkfin, Infiniti wheels/side. I mean, it was a little too much borrowing, imo. The side-profile did seem firm, I'll admit - not Hyundai.

[BMWCali]

Originally Posted by Draman

I went with a friend of mine to test drive 1 of these...sporty it is not. I don't care what they say the thing pulled on a skidpad the car handles like a pig. They should market this thing with comparisons to Lexus because it drives like a sloppy Lexus much, much, much more than it drives like a BMW. It does, however, look nice and is an exceptional bargain.

There are two big mistakes I see Hyundai making that I think may prevent them from really being able to compete with the big boys in the luxury brand game:

1) The brand as a whole is completely lacking in any kind of coherent design philosophy. None of the cars share any similar design traits; you'll never see 1 on a road and go "That's a Hyundai". The design cues for the Genesis are also blatantly stolen from other makes, there's not 1 unique or original line on the entire car, inside or out. It's like they just copied random components from a variety of cars down to the exact measurements on parts, then threw the whole thing together. They did a good job of making the car come together in the end (it's actually very aesthetically pleasing, both inside and out imo) but the fact that it's just a copy of other cars is very annoying (at least to me).

2) They didn't make a luxury brand separate from Hyundai. Lexus, Infiniti and Acura all became at least relatively accepted as luxury name plates because they were distinct from their working collar brethren (Toyota, Nissan and Honda obviously). I really doubt anyone is going to go out and buy a $45k Genesis and proclaim it to be a high end luxury car when they're driving down the street next to a brand new $9000 Elantra. Regardless of how much anyone says they're not a badge whore, I would bet 90% or greater of luxury car buyers bought their car at least in part because of the prestige of owning a luxury name plate. Hyundai cannot meet this demand because they failed to create distinct brands (and their other brand, KIA, pretty much makes Hyundai clones, which makes no sense from a business stand point...).

PS: It was hilarious when I saw a commercial earlier today for the Genesis. The following commercial was for a local Hyundai dealership and it was like 1 of those terrible commercials you see for something like monster truck rallies (SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY, BE THERE!). They actually were advertising brand new Elantras for $8000 or less

Good points. And LOL at PS.

[Epik]

I don't think it was Hyundai's intention to make this a 5-series fighter. But I think they've done a great job with their first premium car in the NA market though. But come on, you can't put down a car like this because it doesn't handle like a BMW. It might be enough for some. It's a Hyundai with Brembo brakes, active-headrests, and a Lexicon audio system (Rolls Royce). Great stuff for ANY car.

Anyways, here's a pretty nice looking one.







Wouldn't take it for free?

[gonzo]

Dang someone already modded one up. Nicely too. I would put that in the garage for sure.

[CChuck]

I have been driving BMWs for the last 10 years. 2 weeks ago, I traded in my BMW 528i for a Hyundai Genesis. I test drove a 550i, LS460, and MB E550. I bought the Genesis on the spot right after test driving it. I would have never considered a Hyundai before the Genesis. So far I am very happy with the car. I have about 1,500 miles on it. The ride is very smooth, quiet, and balanced. I will say it's between a Lexus (soft) and BMW (handling); genesis is more on the luxury side.

I just bought a 3 series less than a month ago also because of the .9% interest. But you can't beat the Genesis deal. I knew about Hyundai quality and reliability from Consumer Report and JD Powers. I also have a fully loaded 2007 Porsche Cayman S with extended warranty (could have bought the 911 for just a little more, but wanted a mid engine performance).

I have one complaint though – it’s the Hyundai dealer network. At one point during negotiations, they were actually arguing with me??? Customer experience is not in par with other luxury brands.


I am keeping my eye on this one that's coming out Feb 2009:
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/au...ies_rival.html

Hyundai VI -- Coming in February '09.
Code-named VI, the new sedan is a companion model to the Genesis.
When the VI goes on sale, it will be available with 5.0L Tau engine, producing between 400 and 420 horsepower.

The car is described as being a showcase for Hyundai's most advanced technologies.
The VI will include among its sophisticated safety features a second–generation Vehicle Stability Management System (VSM2), a Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS) which employs a vision sensor to monitor traffic lane markers and a Pre–Safety Seatbelt System which on detecting an imminent front–end collision, will automatically reel–in the safety belts to maximize the safety of the occupants. It will also feature engines which can shut down cylinders under light throttle loads for better efficiency

For those who travel only in first class, a flagship long-wheelbase limousine is also in the pipeline.

A HYUNDAI LIMOUSINE !!!

Originally Posted by Gripster

Everyone's being too sensitive. These cars are not in the same market space.

It's like those fake Rolex watches or Louis Vitton bags you can buy for $30. People that are on the market for a real Rolex won't look at the fake and say "I'll take that instead". Similarly, those that buy the fake cannot afford, or choose not to afford the real thing.

It's the same here. There may be a small number of price sensitive customers that will consider the Hyundai as good as a 5-series, but that's a different market from those who want a 5-series.

btw - the guage cluster is a rip-off of Audi, not BMW.

[CChuck]

It's not a mod. It's the international emblem they use in Korea and China. If you look at some of their Korean commercials, you will see that emblem.

Originally Posted by gonzo

Dang someone already modded one up. Nicely too. I would put that in the garage for sure.