2009 Hyundai Genesis

[1931Chevy]

What you are looking at is the physical representation of Hyundai's will to succeed in the U.S., also known as the 2009 Hyundai Genesis

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[Quattro]

Hello Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus love child.

[Odin]

it looks so much like a lexus it's not funny

[CamaroCrazy]

Originally Posted by Quattro

Hello Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus love child.

Oh man, tell me about it!

I spy.....
Grille - Camry meets Mercedes E-class
Front fascia - a quick glance says BMW 3 series
Profile - Infiniti G or M or just about any other Japanese sedan on the market today
Rear - Looks like the Azera, but the tail lights say Infiniti M or pseudo BMW 5 series to me.
Interior - Mercedes S-class?

And a 368hp 4.6L V8? Makes the Northstar look very very sad indeed. Break out a LS3 or get your V6 turbochargers ready! The STS is going to need it!

[KillerMRK]

Who'd think we'd be saying this about a Hyundai back in 2000. I'm sure Hyundai is taking all of this as a compliment.

[mkaresh]

Originally Posted by CamaroCrazy

Oh man, tell me about it!

I spy.....
Grille - Camry meets Mercedes E-class
Front fascia - a quick glance says BMW 3 series
Profile - Infiniti G or M or just about any other Japanese sedan on the market today
Rear - Looks like the Azera, but the tail lights say Infiniti M or pseudo BMW 5 series to me.
Interior - Mercedes S-class?

And a 368hp 4.6L V8? Makes the Northstar look very very sad indeed. Break out a LS3 or get your V6 turbochargers ready! The STS is going to need it!

The STS has been on life support for some time. It's just filling space until GM gets a replacement for it and the DTS out the door. Especially now that it shares a showroom with the new CTS.

As for the Hyundai, it's taking a few pages from the playbook of the original Lexus LS, but not all of them.

Pages taken:
--viable competitor to large V8 luxury sedans, for much less money
--styling similar to established players
--ignore enthusiasts; focus on luxury

Pages not taken:
--styling less cohesive, more a pastiche of existing cars
--no innovations that will shake up the industry the way the quietness and refinement and (to a lesser extent) the instruments of that first LS did

Will it fly? The price will help, but the badge will hold it back. Hyundai doesn't yet have the rep Toyota did in 1989.

My prediction: it'll sell better than the Infiniti Q because of the lower price, but that's not saying much. Until Hyundai puts something in the car that the competition does not have yet, it'll be second tier. It looks 90% competitive, but in no way 110% the way that first Lexus was in some key areas.

Update: full take in my blog http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=208

I'll fearlessly predict sales between 15,000 and 20,000. The higher number would match the Cadillac STS (pre 2008 CTS), Infiniti M, and...Hyundai Azera. Usually, the higher the price, the lower the sales. So even matching the Azera would be a stretch.

[mgescuro]

Originally Posted by mkaresh

Will it fly? The price will help, but the badge will hold it back. Hyundai doesn't yet have the rep Toyota did in 1989.

My prediction: it'll sell better than the Infiniti Q because of the lower price, but that's not saying much. Until Hyundai puts something in the car that the competition does not have yet, it'll be second tier. It looks 90% competitive, but in no way 110% the way that first Lexus was in some key areas.

I agree. Badge will hold it back. BUt that can be easily corrected. And Hyundai seems to have a will to succeed.
I think Buick needs to be on notice here. Stronger competition is coming fast. And Park Avenue is not sold here yet.

That being said, that interior, though it is a pastiche of different designs, looks quite nice. STS should be embarrassed.

[DropTopOlds]

Wow, does it say anywhere that's viewable on the front that it's a Hyundai?

I guess it's what Olds did with the first gen Aurora... not an Oldsmobile badge in sight!

[zete]

It's a great attempt by Hyundai. It reminds me of the first Lexus, which was also a pastiche of other cars -- well, mostly Mercedes.

The interior isn't cohesive and some things are just out of proportion, but it's better than the STS and that's sad.

[1931Chevy]

When I saw the Hyundai this came to my mind, its a merger between the Acura front end, mercedes grill and doors back 5 series
its not funny anymore japanese are copying the germans and the koreans copy both

[CaymanS]

1931Chevy, I can understand your reference to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, but the RL has no similarities. Similarities as in Lexus LS460 front fascia and BMW 5-Series rear, not as in having a headlight, taillight, and four wheels.

[genjy]

Nice.

That Hyundai could pass off as a Mercedes if it had a 3-point star on the grill.

But then again, too bad it looks so much like a Mercedes.

[Fusion2.3H]

The million dollar question? Can it compete with the LS and competition for half the price?

[Firebird00]

Its not a bad looking car. Unoriginal yes, but not bad. Its still a Hyundai though and that alone is more than enough to keep me away from it.

[CaymanS]

Hyundai intends to compete the Genesis with the Pontiac G8 and the Chrysler 300C. The Lexus LS460 and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class were clearly benchmarks.