Hyundai will enter new territory later this year when it launches a global luxury brand called Genesis. In the vein of Toyota’s Lexus division and Nissan’s Infiniti brand, Genesis will offer a range of luxury models with different designs, platforms, and badging compared with mainstream Hyundai models.
Chief design officer for the Hyundai Motor Group Peter Schreyer said that all six new Genesis models will be rear-wheel-drive based (all-wheel drive should be optional) in order to achieve distinctive looks and classic luxury-car proportions. Former Volkswagen Group designer Luc Donckerworlke will head up Hyundai’s new “Prestige Design Division” starting in mid-2016.
Hyundai has not yet announced how much it plans to invest to get the Genesis brand off the ground. There’s no word yet on separate dealerships for Genesis models, so it’s likely that they will be sold through existing Hyundai dealerships, at least at first. Genesis will launch first in South Korea, China, North America, and the Middle East, with plans to expand into Europe and Asia later on.
Stay tuned for more news on Hyundai’s new venture into the luxury segment as we learn more about Genesis.
