The Genesis luxury brand has been taking steps to distance itself from parent company Hyundai. While Hyundai has done a nice job improving its reputation in the U.S. over the past several years, Genesis still doesn’t want to be too closely associated with the affordable, high-volume brand. It’s tough to sell a high-end luxury car when it shares a showroom with a Hyundai Accent.
The next step in that process for Genesis is establishing its own dealer network. Genesis is planning on opening “about 100” dealerships to create “a distinct and properly-sized Genesis retail network,” according to a press release. First dibs on these dealers will go to existing Hyundai dealers in key markets that already sell Genesis products.
What are those key markets, you ask? “I won’t specify all of the key markets, but I can tell you there are 18 larger key markets that will have multiple Genesis points and there are 30 key markets that will have just one Genesis retailer,” said Genesis representative Kevin Smith in an email to The Drive. We can reasonably expect some of those key markets to be places where luxury cars are especially popular like big coastal cities. We also asked if we can expect to see Genesis dealer networks outside of the U.S. “We have Genesis independence in Canada and there are other global markets we’ll enter in the near future,” said Smith.
The Genesis press release states that “over the next three years new Genesis standalone facilities will be constructed to further enhance the overall ownership experience.” We asked Genesis what exactly that means. “We already have no-charge maintenance for the first three years/36,000 miles and offer what we call Service Valet for that same period in which you don’t ever need to visit the dealership to get your Genesis serviced. You simply make an appointment with the retailer and they bring a loaner to your home or business, take your car to the shop for service, return it to you when it’s ready and take back the loaner car,” said Smith.
“There are other very customer-focused ideas we’re considering for the future. The standalone new facilities are all about providing the customer the buying and overall ownership experience they expect from a luxury brand,” said Smith. So, it sounds like selling the Genesis brand to the masses is just as much about the ownership experience as it is about the cars themselves. That could prove to be a good strategy considering just how many tough competitors are out there for Genesis to go up against as a new brand.