I actually got to sit in one two weeks ago. The factory rep had a stripped demo, with no emblems on it. No navi either. It was impressive. The car was hidden from view at the back of the dealership. Two techs had it for testing. They said the car drove like a bat out of hell. I have one on hold, fully loaded, but may have to make a decision on another vehicle unless they get here soon before my current lease is up at the end of May.
I actually sat in a demo brought to my dealer by two engineers soliciting comments. I have one supposedly "on hold" as the first in my area, and I will ONLY lease it which they know.
Can't wait to get into a fully loaded one with all accessories. Just wish it has AWD
(OK, esoteric reference I know... a few may get it...)
I got to see Genesis up close today at the Twin Cities auto show. It was on a turntable so I couldn't sit in it, but the doors were open. They were doing a sales pitch from the turntable every so often. The spokeswoman did a nice job with all the technobabble until near the end, then she lost it somewhere between ABS and ESC. But she recovered nicely. The pitch was quite informative, actually. I was riveted to her, er, it.
Very, very sharp looking car. Silver with black interior. Hyundai badge on the trunk; not on the front (and there won't be one there). There was a good-sized crowd listening to the pitch. In fact, there was a big crowd throughout the Hyundai exhibit. That is noteworthy because in past years, I could have done some bowling there without any risk of hitting anyone. There were lots of people pouring over the cars, especially the Veracruzes, Santa Fes, and 2009 Sonatas. There were also several large backlit Hyundai posters showing off the Genesis, Santa Fe, and Sonata all along the main skyway (2nd-story enclosed walkways between buildings) leading to the convention center. The exhibit itself was well-done, I thought--showcasing the Genesis and Elantra Touring, with at least two of each other model (except the Tibby, just one) to check out on the floor. And a cut-away Sonata showing off its safety features.
I saw one driven to my dealer by two engineers. It was stripped down and no logos. I sat in it and played around, but it was pretty bare. I have a standing order for one at either of three dealerships, fully loaded and the color is insignificant.
I just wish there was someway to get some "tech" answers: Will th navi be voice operated as all other HDD systems? Will the bluetooth display the incoming caller ID on the screen? Will the bluetooth hold names with voice tags, and if so, how many? Yadayada
Any sign of an Azera? Looks like a gradual phaseout. What a shame because this car is an absolute bargain even without nav, bluetooth, etc. For a senior like myself, who wants some of the luxuries that it offers and is not particularly concerned that it doesn't attain 300+hp (267hp is just fine) it's too bad that they didn't market it in a different manner. However I will certainly take the Genesis for a spin when it appears at my dealer. Don
I just wish there was someway to get some "tech" answers: Will th navi be voice operated as all other HDD systems? Will the bluetooth display the incoming caller ID on the screen? Will the bluetooth hold names with voice tags, and if so, how many? Yadayada
Why would the Azera phase out? It's a different car compared to the Genesis. The Azera was the flagship sedan and now the Genesis will be, basically pushing the Azera to the #2 spot held by the Sonata previously.
I mean...Genesis being RWD and Azera being FWD...you'll have some that will choose based on that alone. There's a lot of folks that don't care for RWD vehicles. However, if Hyundai should go to AWD...that could/would change the landscape a bit.
I am a longtime Honda/Acura customer and life-time car geek who has been waiting for a RWD V8 sedan at a price I could justify for too long . The Genesis stands out "potentially" as a home run for value relative to the European, Domestic and Japanese alternatives. Will the resale be spotty? Could be. Will the car's driving dynamics be up to par? Looking forward to the test drive to evaluate that. For me, a robust V8, RWD sedan option under $40K is worth a very close look. NOTHING in the marketplace today offers comparable value if the Genesis actually shows up in dealers at this price point with a 360+ HP V8, RWD and composed driving dynamics. If it does, I will own one and care less what the neighbors think about the nameplate.
Leo Vince
P.S. The moniker reflects my other passion which is high performance motorcycles.
I waited 15 months to get a hands-on look at a Genesis and was extremely disappointed to find it rotating on a hands-off display at this past weekend's KC auto show. If this car is truly the equal of a BMW and Mercedes as the marketing material claims, why hide from the up-close scrutiny of potential buyers? It left me thinking the Genesis might be less than advertized.
On a positive note, the interior of the new 2009 Sonata I sat in was impressive. But the 2009 Sonata’s price tag is getting uncomfortably close to that of the Camry and Accord. Not a good thing for buyers like me looking for affordable alternatives to the UnTouchable Two.
Did you think that Hyundai would keep the Sonata price low for no reason? Now that it's up to par with Honda and Toyota, they'll sell it for what the market will bear. One of the corner principles of a capitalist/free market economy!
The key phrase in your retort is "what the market will bear." The market will not pay the same price for a Sonata as they will for an Accord or Camry until Hyundai's resale value equals those two proven sedans. IMO Hyundai is getting ahead of itself with its '09 Sonata pricing.
The Genesis is priced $15-20K below what it is supposedly worth for that very reason.
Actually...don't take exception to the Genesis being up on the hands-off display. Most companies have done that with their vehicles that aren't actually ready to drop until later on. Buick did the same with the Enclave, Lincoln did it with the upcoming MKZ and Pontiac followed suit with the G8 here at the DC Auto Show last year. This year...the Enclave was down on the floor where folks could get in it, but since the G8, MKZ and Genesis aren't exactly going into show rooms until sometime around summer or shortly after...they were all on the hands-off display.
I don't think the idea is to hide anything from the public...look at the Enclave for instance. One year it's up on the hands-off display, then it's in show rooms and it gets rave reviews. I think it's more about keeping the mystique going...show a little, but not everything. Make potential buyers go to the show rooms and check it out fully...then there will be a greater chance of one buying.
As far as the Sonata goes...don't know what Hyundai is thinking.
The 2009 Sonata is still priced about $1500-2000 +- less than comparably-equipped CamCords. Plus you can bet that once the 2008s are gone, some form of incentives will reappear on the Sonatas, putting the price effectively $3000+ less than CamCords. Plus there's the long warranty, which you don't get for free with CamCords. Given the competitive performance and quality of the 2009 Sonata, I think that kind of pricing is plenty competitive.
I find it interesting when people complain (sometimes in the same post) about prices going up on Hyundais and their historically lower resale value compared to Honda and Toyota. You won't see jumps in resale value without corresponding increases in up-front price. Money still doesn't magically appear out of thin air, no matter how much we wish it would.
We don't know the actual pricing of the Genesis yet, so to say it's priced $15-20k below what it's worth is premature.
Some of the luxury cars that ARE available for sale now were locked up at the Twin Cities auto show this weekend. I noticed also, for example, Chevy wasn't letting anyone sit in the Camaro that was on display, and Dodge wasn't letting anyone sit in the Challenger. Both were on pedestals. Shoot, Honda had a 2008 Accord LX-P locked up, on a pedestal (I noticed that only leather-trimmed Accords were open for sitting in--no lesser trims were open, on the floor. Hmm....) It's just what goes on at these shows.
Well...here at the DC Auto Show...Benz had plenty of cars open for folks to climb in, however...there were quite a few that weren't. Porsche...same thing and same can be said of Audi, Volvo and Cadillac. The point is...they NEVER make every car available for folks to climb into.
The Camaro hasn't hit the streets yet, neither has the Challenger. As far as Honda goes...would you want a lesser trimmed cloth interior vehicle open to thousands of folks climbing in and out of it??? I think not.
There is plenty that goes on at the shows, but again...it's nothing to take exception to. It's just a case of not wanting to tip their hand and make potential buyers want to go take a look at it as well as maybe even a test drive.
...would you want a lesser trimmed cloth interior vehicle open to thousands of folks climbing in and out of it??? I think not.
Didn't seem to be a problem for Toyota (base Camry on the floor), Hyundai (base Sonata), Mercury (base Milan), Chevy (base Malibu), Saturn (base Aura) etc. What I suspect is that Honda realizes that its EX-L cars look much nicer inside than the LX and LX-P, so they decided to put their best foot foward. I appreciated being able to check out the base models of the competition, however.
And although the Genesis was on a rotating pedestal, all of its doors were open so we could at least get a good look inside.
Great info, so let's hope the Genesis makes it to the dealers priced in these ranges. If the fit and finish is there and the car drives well, I will spring for a V8 version. At $38-40K the car will be a bargain very similar in value to the original Lexus LS400 back in 1989. Now then will the resale values continue to improve as the product has?
I wanted, so badly, to jump on that pedestal and jump inside the Genesis that was on display. The one they had here was the red with brown leather interior, it really looked nice.
Well...from everything I've heard...fully loaded, the Genesis shouldn't be over $3K. Before the Azera dropped, I was being told that it would top out at $31K...maybe that was MSRP, but the price I paid for my '06 Azera w/Premium Package was just over $26K (out the door)...the sticker price was $29,385. The Ultimate Package was only $1500K more.
That being said...if the target MSRP is $38K, maybe they will be selling for about $35K fully loaded!!!
I am hearing this is the general pricing structure Hyundai USA is studying. By no means this is the final pricing/package/options, although I am hoping it would be a little less (personally)
Couple months ago??? It's been official for longer than a couple of months that the Genesis was U.S. bound. At any rate...I do truly believe that a fully loaded Genesis in V-8 form will be sub-$40K. How close to $40K will probably depend on what your location is. However, like the Azera...what you actually pay for it will be different. I wouldn't be surprised (if my info holds true) that you would be paying (out the door) around $36K for a fully loaded V-8.
I spoke to the manager of a large Hyundai dealership in the KC area two weeks ago and he was somewhat upset that I phoned to ask about the Genesis. "I have 300 vehicles on my lot and not one of them is a Genesis," he lamented. “Hyundai’s marketing strategy for the Genesis is very odd. They advertise it on the Super Bowl months before it will be released. There are only going to be 1,000 Genesis cars available to 700 dealers in the US. What does that tell you about your chances of buying one or me selling you one?”
This makes zero sense to me (that Hyundai would roll out a flagship model so sparingly) but I have no reason to not believe this dealer. He was definitely NOT excited about the Genesis. “The Azera is a helluva car,” he added. “But no one will even look at them.”
So here's a thought maybe... use the Genesis to entice buyers to at least come into a Hyundai dealership (still a problem for Hyundai--get butts in seats), and they can see the Azera and Veracruz and all the rest. Maybe they'll still want to buy a Genesis. Or maybe they'll wind up buying an Azera or...
Come on now...do you REALLY believe that a company like Hyundai is trying to create a level of exclusivity by only shipping 1000 Genesis vehicles to the U.S. If you break that number up amongst the 3 trim levels they are going to have for it...that's not many of each.
I think the dealer you spoke to is blowing smoke up your wazoo. It may be his way to make someone feel that the MUST pre-order when the chance comes to get one.
1000 says he, that means each dealership (major dealership at that) would get 1 Genesis to sell.
I have to throw in with Allmet33, that there is no chance Hyundai is "only" bringing 1,000 Genesis models to the U.S. market. The R&D investment in a new power plant, the Tau V8 and a rear drive chassis is major $. The U.S. is....the market for that car especially the V8 version when you roll global gas prices into the mix and the relative market acceptance of the brand versus European and Japanese competitors in their home markets. Your dealer is a......dealer. Translation..the retailer is always most interested in selling what he/she is currently paying a inventory interest payment on, not some hot future model not yet on the lot.
Tell the manager to stop drinking whatever he's drinking
Of course there is no Genesis on his lot right now. No dealerships across the North America continent has one for sale currently.
Don't believe the 1,000 units of Genesis, it's probably a way for that dealership to entice you to get one - "we have so few of these, if you don't get one, there wouldn't be any left...", or something to that effect
The Genesis will be arriving in a few months, and there will be a long pre-sell period, with events such as invitation drives (which I'd assume for a few days) and various marketing tie-in with premium establishments.
Do I think they would only make 1000 Genesis? Probably not, but I DO think the Genesis will be in VERY short supply.
When I bought my Azera in March of 2006, I talked to or visited seven Hyundai dealership. Two didn't have ANY Azeras (and, remember, this was four months after they were released). Three ONLY had the floor model, and the other two had less than six total. The Azera was is VERY short supply and I had to drive to a different city to find one in black.
I think the Genesis will be in shorter supply than the Azera. And I think the V8 Genesis will be a very rare find. Good luck on that one.
Based on my experience with the Azera, I also think the dealerships will be VERY unprepared for the Genesis and have totally inaccurate information about it. And since they will be in short supply, I can easily see them steering customers to the HUGE volume of cars sitting on their lots collecting dust.
Yeah...I don't know the Hyundai logic when they brought the Azera out. I bought mine at one dealership, but they had to go get it from another dealer because they didn't have the one I wanted. I bought mine Feb./Mar. of '06 as well and encountered the same thing you did...very, very few to see, much less choose from. I hope it's not an indication of how things will go with the Genesis.
It is my thinking that the Genesis will help the sales of the other cars though. It is one car generating buzz and interest amongst anyone that knows about cars. Even if it's just to go check it out, it'll bring folks in the door and when they see the Azera, Veracruz & updated Sonata...they're gonna be like, "Whoa...I didn't know they had all these nice cars!"
* Maybe not every Hyundai dealer will get them. Wasn't there talk that dealers would need to demonstrate that they deserve to sell the Genesis?
* Maybe there will be 1000 in the first (partial) year. That makes sense, to ramp up production gradually for an all-new design that is different than anything Hyundai has attempted before. Also it allows dealers to make sure they are providing the best possible service to Genesis customers. Keep in mind the service techs will need to be trained on these cars. They ain't no Accent. Once everything is ship-shape and assuming demand is there, Hyundai can take a page from Doritos and "just make more."
Okay...with that logic, I can see 1000 as an intial shipment, but to say 1000 will be shipped period is crazy!
I can see a dealer saying that to create a panic amongst buyers and make them think they have to hurry and get one or they won't have a chance at getting one.
There have been postings that some dealerships already have stripped down versions of the Genesis for the sole purpose of the techs getting aquainted with them (sure wish they had done that with the Azera).
OTOH, I call BS on the 1k count. I don't think Hyundai would spend millions of dollars on a Super Bowl ad to only have 1k hit the dealers. What I CAN see is top tier Hyundai dealers getting the Genesis first but that's pretty much the way it is with all car manufacturers.
Comments
I can definitely see leasing options available upon introduction.
Can't wait to get into a fully loaded one with all accessories. Just wish it has AWD
I got to see Genesis up close today at the Twin Cities auto show. It was on a turntable so I couldn't sit in it, but the doors were open. They were doing a sales pitch from the turntable every so often. The spokeswoman did a nice job with all the technobabble until near the end, then she lost it somewhere between ABS and ESC. But she recovered nicely.
Very, very sharp looking car. Silver with black interior. Hyundai badge on the trunk; not on the front (and there won't be one there). There was a good-sized crowd listening to the pitch. In fact, there was a big crowd throughout the Hyundai exhibit. That is noteworthy because in past years, I could have done some bowling there without any risk of hitting anyone. There were lots of people pouring over the cars, especially the Veracruzes, Santa Fes, and 2009 Sonatas. There were also several large backlit Hyundai posters showing off the Genesis, Santa Fe, and Sonata all along the main skyway (2nd-story enclosed walkways between buildings) leading to the convention center. The exhibit itself was well-done, I thought--showcasing the Genesis and Elantra Touring, with at least two of each other model (except the Tibby, just one) to check out on the floor. And a cut-away Sonata showing off its safety features.
A sign of rebirth at Hyundai?
I just wish there was someway to get some "tech" answers: Will th navi be voice operated as all other HDD systems? Will the bluetooth display the incoming caller ID on the screen? Will the bluetooth hold names with voice tags, and if so, how many? Yadayada
H
Don
I believe so.
I mean...Genesis being RWD and Azera being FWD...you'll have some that will choose based on that alone. There's a lot of folks that don't care for RWD vehicles. However, if Hyundai should go to AWD...that could/would change the landscape a bit.
I am a longtime Honda/Acura customer and life-time car geek who has been waiting for a RWD V8 sedan at a price I could justify for too long . The Genesis stands out "potentially" as a home run for value relative to the European, Domestic and Japanese alternatives. Will the resale be spotty? Could be. Will the car's driving dynamics be up to par? Looking forward to the test drive to evaluate that. For me, a robust V8, RWD sedan option under $40K is worth a very close look. NOTHING in the marketplace today offers comparable value if the Genesis actually shows up in dealers at this price point with a 360+ HP V8, RWD and composed driving dynamics. If it does, I will own one and care less what the neighbors think about the nameplate.
Leo Vince
P.S. The moniker reflects my other passion which is high performance motorcycles.
On a positive note, the interior of the new 2009 Sonata I sat in was impressive. But the 2009 Sonata’s price tag is getting uncomfortably close to that of the Camry and Accord. Not a good thing for buyers like me looking for affordable alternatives to the UnTouchable Two.
-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host
The Genesis is priced $15-20K below what it is supposedly worth for that very reason.
http://www.autospies.com/images/users/Agent001/Hyundai-Genesis-Pricing/SNAG-0000- %203-10-2008.jpg
I don't think the idea is to hide anything from the public...look at the Enclave for instance. One year it's up on the hands-off display, then it's in show rooms and it gets rave reviews. I think it's more about keeping the mystique going...show a little, but not everything. Make potential buyers go to the show rooms and check it out fully...then there will be a greater chance of one buying.
As far as the Sonata goes...don't know what Hyundai is thinking.
I find it interesting when people complain (sometimes in the same post) about prices going up on Hyundais and their historically lower resale value compared to Honda and Toyota. You won't see jumps in resale value without corresponding increases in up-front price. Money still doesn't magically appear out of thin air, no matter how much we wish it would.
We don't know the actual pricing of the Genesis yet, so to say it's priced $15-20k below what it's worth is premature.
The Camaro hasn't hit the streets yet, neither has the Challenger. As far as Honda goes...would you want a lesser trimmed cloth interior vehicle open to thousands of folks climbing in and out of it??? I think not.
There is plenty that goes on at the shows, but again...it's nothing to take exception to. It's just a case of not wanting to tip their hand and make potential buyers want to go take a look at it as well as maybe even a test drive.
Didn't seem to be a problem for Toyota (base Camry on the floor), Hyundai (base Sonata), Mercury (base Milan), Chevy (base Malibu), Saturn (base Aura) etc. What I suspect is that Honda realizes that its EX-L cars look much nicer inside than the LX and LX-P, so they decided to put their best foot foward. I appreciated being able to check out the base models of the competition, however.
And although the Genesis was on a rotating pedestal, all of its doors were open so we could at least get a good look inside.
Great info, so let's hope the Genesis makes it to the dealers priced in these ranges. If the fit and finish is there and the car drives well, I will spring for a V8 version. At $38-40K the car will be a bargain very similar in value to the original Lexus LS400 back in 1989. Now then will the resale values continue to improve as the product has?
I wanted, so badly, to jump on that pedestal and jump inside the Genesis that was on display. The one they had here was the red with brown leather interior, it really looked nice.
That being said...if the target MSRP is $38K, maybe they will be selling for about $35K fully loaded!!!
thanks to hyundaiforums.com!
just giving props where due.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
This makes zero sense to me (that Hyundai would roll out a flagship model so sparingly) but I have no reason to not believe this dealer. He was definitely NOT excited about the Genesis. “The Azera is a helluva car,” he added. “But no one will even look at them.”
I think the dealer you spoke to is blowing smoke up your wazoo. It may be his way to make someone feel that the MUST pre-order when the chance comes to get one.
1000 says he, that means each dealership (major dealership at that) would get 1 Genesis to sell.
You and me both.
Of course there is no Genesis on his lot right now. No dealerships across the North America continent has one for sale currently.
Don't believe the 1,000 units of Genesis, it's probably a way for that dealership to entice you to get one - "we have so few of these, if you don't get one, there wouldn't be any left...", or something to that effect
The Genesis will be arriving in a few months, and there will be a long pre-sell period, with events such as invitation drives (which I'd assume for a few days) and various marketing tie-in with premium establishments.
When I bought my Azera in March of 2006, I talked to or visited seven Hyundai dealership. Two didn't have ANY Azeras (and, remember, this was four months after they were released). Three ONLY had the floor model, and the other two had less than six total. The Azera was is VERY short supply and I had to drive to a different city to find one in black.
I think the Genesis will be in shorter supply than the Azera. And I think the V8 Genesis will be a very rare find. Good luck on that one.
Based on my experience with the Azera, I also think the dealerships will be VERY unprepared for the Genesis and have totally inaccurate information about it. And since they will be in short supply, I can easily see them steering customers to the HUGE volume of cars sitting on their lots collecting dust.
It is my thinking that the Genesis will help the sales of the other cars though. It is one car generating buzz and interest amongst anyone that knows about cars. Even if it's just to go check it out, it'll bring folks in the door and when they see the Azera, Veracruz & updated Sonata...they're gonna be like, "Whoa...I didn't know they had all these nice cars!"
* Maybe not every Hyundai dealer will get them. Wasn't there talk that dealers would need to demonstrate that they deserve to sell the Genesis?
* Maybe there will be 1000 in the first (partial) year. That makes sense, to ramp up production gradually for an all-new design that is different than anything Hyundai has attempted before. Also it allows dealers to make sure they are providing the best possible service to Genesis customers. Keep in mind the service techs will need to be trained on these cars. They ain't no Accent. Once everything is ship-shape and assuming demand is there, Hyundai can take a page from Doritos and "just make more."
I can see a dealer saying that to create a panic amongst buyers and make them think they have to hurry and get one or they won't have a chance at getting one.
There have been postings that some dealerships already have stripped down versions of the Genesis for the sole purpose of the techs getting aquainted with them (sure wish they had done that with the Azera).
just giving props where due.
Hehe, thanks!
OTOH, I call BS on the 1k count. I don't think Hyundai would spend millions of dollars on a Super Bowl ad to only have 1k hit the dealers. What I CAN see is top tier Hyundai dealers getting the Genesis first but that's pretty much the way it is with all car manufacturers.