Genesis has got some big plans, that much is clear. And also plain is that taking on the German premium marques head on does require both a cunning strategy and a little bit of blind enthusiasm for the cause. The Hyundai offshoot is planning a rather huge dealer assault in North America.
In the US alone, it’s reported that around 100 standalone Genesis dealerships will be established to peddle the latest luxury cars from the Korean prestige automaker, with their peddle being a similar level of quality and luxury and better value.
Previously, the emergence of Genesis raised this very question of whether it would need to piggyback off of existing Hyundai lots, potentially diluting its brand’s sheen a little, or have the buying experience moved to its own bespoke showrooms. In the American market, at least, it’s the latter.
Genesis, or rather Hyundai North America, announced at the end of last week that it would begin the dealer selection process, with a natural tendency to favouring existing Hyundai dealerships as well as those part of the Genesis Participation Agreement that had expressed interest in the new marque, provided they were located in specific ‘high target’ markets
Erwin Raphael, Genesis Motor America’s general manager, said: "At Genesis, we believe in putting our customers first and giving them a proper ownership experience. To ensure that happens, we need to take this next step in the separation of the Genesis brand from our parent company."
Moving forward, these some-100 dealerships will be erected and operational within the next 3 years. However, though, Genesis cars will have to share floorspace with their Hyundai relatives out of necessity. Perhaps certain strict guidelines have been stipulated to have buying the experience decidedly more fitting of the premium price.
From the start, Genesis has been keeping a particularly close eye on conquering the North American market, which would explain why they are announcing this significant investment in dealer network there. Assuming it pays off - even before hitting the 3-year mark, it’s quite likely that it would be enough of a push for Genesis to explore dedicated dealerships in other countries.
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