Genesis leaves the nest, plans for 100 new standalone dealerships
Hyundai and Genesis are working to distance themselves from one another in the eyes of US consumers and a new dealer network is instrumental to that plan.
Have you found yourself lusting after the finest in South Korean luxury automobiles , yet unwilling to set foot in a mere Hyundai dealership with all of the proles? Hyundai has good news for you then Old Bean, because it is launching around 100 Genesis dealerships in the US.
The Genesis luxury brand has continually surprised everyone since it made its debut in 2015 by making attractive, thoughtfully designed cars that offer significant bang for one's buck. The problem has been that it is tough to sell customers a luxury car in a ho-hum dealership. Making this kind of investment in such a young brand shows great faith in the continued success of Genesis and could mean great things for the automaker.
Hyundai's luxury sub-brand Genesis wants to set itself apart from its parent company in the eyes of consumers.
The planned rollout of the dedicated Genesis showrooms began on Jan. 26 when Hyundai announced that it would start the dealer selection process, initially choosing from a limited number of dealers who are party to the Genesis Participation Agreement and who also exist in specific markets. Dealerships will be built out over the next three years, though in the interim, they will be forced to share space with their bargain-oriented brethren.
"At Genesis, we believe in putting our customers first and giving them a proper ownership experience," said Erwin Raphael, general manager of Genesis Motor America, in a statement. "To ensure that happens, we need to take this next step in the separation of the Genesis brand from our parent company."
It seems unlikely that Hyundai will suffer from any kind of empty nester syndrome based on its offerings at the recent Detroit Auto Show , most notably the US launch of the N performance sub-brand with the Veloster N.
