Depending on your age and/or religious beliefs, the name Genesis will probably mean either a British rock band or the first book of the Bible. But in automotive terms, Genesis is a relatively new premium car brand from Hyundai in South Korea.
Originally the name for a Hyundai luxury saloon, Genesis evolved into a complete brand within the last decade. It arrived in Europe and the UK in 2021.
As of May 2023, Genesis has a range of five separate models in the UK, covering mid-to-large luxury cars. Although the brand offers petrol and diesel models, most of its sales are taken by its electric models.
So who or what is Genesis?
Genesis is a premium car brand from Korea and forms part of the Hyundai Group, sitting above Hyundai and Kia in the family. Although its cars are largely based on mechanical bits shared with those two brands, there’s a lot of individual design and technology.
Building a premium brand over the top of mainstream mechanicals is certainly not a new idea in the car industry. Fundamentally, many Audis are little more than posh Volkswagens, while most Lexus models are trussed-up Toyotas. Similarly, Nissan created the upmarket Infiniti division (now gone from Europe but still doing well in the USA), and Citroën spun off its top-spec DS models into the standalone DS Automobiles brand.
Over in America, it’s been going on a lot longer than that. For example, GM has Cadillac, Buick and Chevrolet all targeting different demographics and price points with fundamentally the same cars – and it’s been doing that for about 100 years.
It’s fair to say that the market performance of new premium brands from Asian companies has been rather mixed, which is a hurdle that Genesis will have to clear.
Lexus was launched by Toyota in the late 1980s and has become a firmly established name, but it still sells in relatively small numbers in Europe. Infiniti was Nissan’s attempt to do the same thing, but despite success in America and China, the brand latest little more than a decade in Europe before abandoning the idea.
Honda has a premium brand in Amercia called Acura, but has never tried bringing it to Europe, while Mazda tried and failed in the 1990s with a largely forgotten premium brand called Eunos.
Despite establishing a new premium brand being an uphill battle for car companies, Genesis is confident that it can succeed where others have struggled or failed. It has launched a whole range of models in a short time, rather than relying on one or two cars for several years, and is embracing three of the biggest new themes of car selling in the 2020s – electric vehicles, online sales and car subscriptions.
When did Genesis launch in the UK?
The company launched in the UK in summer 2021, and has built up a range of cars in a short time.
Although its initial models were powered by petrol and diesel, the company’s focus has switched to electric vehicles over the last 12 months. Already, about 85% of the brand’s sales are electric models and that figure is only likely to increase as we get closer to the 2030 cutoff date for new fossil fuel car sales.
What models does Genesis have and what else is coming?
The standout model in the current range is the electric GV60, which is the only Genesis model designed from the ground up as an electric vehicle. Although the company also offered electric versions of its GV70 mid-size SUV and G80 large saloon, their conventional fossil fuel origins are evident in several ways.
If you’re not ready to switch to an EV, there are several petrol and diesel models available that are roughly aligned with existing mid-size and large models from other premium brands.
The G70 mid-size saloon and estate (‘Shooting Brake’) models are similar in size to the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Jaguar XE, Volvo S60/V60 and others.
The GV70 mid-size SUV is pitched against the BMW X3, Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Volvo XC60, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Jaguar F-Pace, Lexus NX and about a million others.
The G80 large saloon is up against the BMW 5 Series, Audi A6, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Jaguar XF, Volvo S90, Lexus ES and so on.
The GV80 large SUV competes with the likes of the BMW X5, Audi Q7, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Volvo XC90, Land Rover Discovery, Lexus RX and more.
Where can I try a Genesis car?
Genesis sells cars directly to the public rather than through conventional dealerships. However, it does have two physical showrooms in London (Westfield shopping centre in West London and the Battersea Power Station) and a third set to open shortly in Edinburgh. We’re expecting more sites to open in 2024 as the company accelerates its push into the UK.
These are not conventional car dealerships managed by a franchise operation, but more akin to designer-brand luxury showrooms. You can buy a car on-site, although most Genesis sales are handled online. There’s no haggling or negotiating, nor any attempts to flog you a bewildering array of accessories and insurance policies to jack up the dealer’s profit margin.
What’s particularly significant about this company?
Genesis has adopted a holistic approach to car buying and ownership, managing the journey from start to finish rather than outsourcing car sales and servicing to franchises.
The company calls this philosophy “The Genesis Difference”. It includes fixed new car pricing, a choice of finance options including car subscriptions, a standard five-year care plan that includes warranty, breakdown cover and all scheduled servicing. There’s also a concierge-style service to book test drives, deliver your new car, collect it for servicing (along with a courtesy car) and so on.
For its electric models, Genesis is rolling out an integrated Europe-wide charging payment system so you can charge your car at many public charging points without the need for mobile apps or payment cards.
Naturally, all these inclusions are reflected in the cars’ prices. But if you’re the sort of person that hates the ongoing time and cost burdens of managing your car, it takes most of that off your hands.
What makes Genesis different to the rest?
Unlike many premium car companies, Genesis emphasis luxury and comfort rather than pseudo-sportiness. Its ‘personal assistant’ concierge service will certainly appeal to high-earning customers with little time or inclination to handle the mundane logistics of owning and running a car.
Yes, there are ‘Sport’ trim levels, but they’re largely cosmetic rather than the usual combination of body-hugging seats and rock-hard suspension settings that combine to pummel your kidneys and rattle your teeth on UK roads.
There’s also no racing team or spurious claims that the cars are directly influenced by Formula One or Le Mans successes.
Summary
Cracking the premium car market is tough, as many brands have found over the years. The German troika of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz dominate sales numbers (as of May 2023, Audi is the third-biggest brand in the UK, behind only Volkswagen and Ford), while every other fights over the scraps.
Unsurprisingly, Genesis is still very much on the fringes of the new car market. Its year-to-date sales are only about 1% of Audi’s, so you’re not going to see too many of them on your daily commute anytime soon.
Still, the company has quickly established itself as a credible alternative to the traditional options. Within two years, it already has a substantial choice of models and has embraced two of the latest trends in new car selling – online sales and car subscriptions – that could help it steal a march on its rivals who are still locked into old-fashioned dealership agreements.
The brand name might still fly under the radar for most people but, if it can target well-heeled customers who are not hung up on a German brand name, there are plenty of opportunities for continued growth. Parent company Hyundai is firmly behind its new brand, and looks to have learned from the difficulties faced by other premium start-up brands over the years.
If you’re not a car enthusiast and simply want a luxurious car that whisks you around smoothly in quiet comfort, a Genesis could be right up your street.
