"not for canada - australian in disguise" (for-canada)
07/10/2015 at 01:19 • Filed to: None
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"not for canada - australian in disguise" (for-canada)
07/10/2015 at 01:19 • Filed to: None | 1
| 9 |
They really need their own luxury brand, they have all the cars, but they still have the brand stigma associated with a Korean car, so rebadging them would most likely do wonders for sales figures, the lineup could be like this:
Entry model (A3, CLA price range), tarted up Optima (or a Sonata?), Basically an SX-L/Limited with a few more options. (AWD anyone?)
Mid range model (3-series, A4 price range), Rebadge the Aslan, would remove the stigma that prevents it selling in Korea, and plus I think it’s a damn sexy looking car.
Midsize luxury car (5-series, E-Class, A6 fighter), keep selling the Genesis, perhaps even call the brand Genesis. The Genesis is an excellent car in it’s own right, not much need to change it.
Full size luxury car, (7-series, A8), just keep selling the K900, change the grille to fit more with the Genesis motif though. I like the Equus, but it’s simply too old looking.
Sporty coupe, (A5, 4-Series, C-Class coupe, upcoming Q40/G35 succesor), just make the Genesis Coupe a tad more luxurious, and mum’s your uncle.
Luxury MPV (No competitor), take the Sedona, make it cooler inside, and congratulations Kia, you’ve made a type of vehicle never really offered in North America, (and no, the T&C doesn’t count.)
SUV, just take the Santa Fe (XL and Sport), and just give it some new fanciness, rich soccer moms will love it!
Creating a new brand for luxury cars worked for basically any Japanese manufacturer that tried it, and every brand that tried making a luxury car with the attached brand stigma (SVX, Diamante, 929 anyone?), pretty much failed. So why wouldn’t this work for the Koreans?
TheHondaBro
> not for canada - australian in disguise
07/10/2015 at 01:43 |
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It’s very possible that Genesis could become its own brand.
m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
> not for canada - australian in disguise
07/10/2015 at 01:54 |
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In my opinion, if there were to be a premium SUV, the new Sorento would be a better choice as it is much nicer than the Santa Fe.
beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard
> not for canada - australian in disguise
07/10/2015 at 01:55 |
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they could name the brand Gangnam. after the well-to-do district of Seoul.
Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast.
> not for canada - australian in disguise
07/10/2015 at 02:06 |
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It’s funny you should write this. I was just thinking about it last week while I was wandering around Carmax waiting on a warranty repair. I took some time and checked out an Equus. It was a nice enough car, well optioned, nice interior, but there was just something missing. I think that what was missing was that the idea of luxury that Hyundai has is based on an old idea that more is, well, more, but not in a good way. It was the same mistake that Cadillac made for a couple of decades, resulting in cars only old men were interested in.
The interior had so many buttons it could have doubled for a space shuttle cockpit. Something about the whole experience felt like they were just trying too hard. I wish them luck, but for the kind of money they are asking for these cars, I think I would rather just spend it on a more established luxury brand.
Bytemite
> not for canada - australian in disguise
07/10/2015 at 02:24 |
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People need to grow up and realize it is the 21st century. Brands don’t matter as much as they used to. Brand loyalty is just being used by the companies themselves to get away with price gouging.
Hyundai and Kia has been making great cars for a decade now. They have been killing it in the engine and styling departments.
Their 2.0 I4 Turbo makes 274 peak hp, guess what VW’s 2.0 I4 Turbo makes? 210 hp. Ford? 240 hp.
Chinny Raccoon
> not for canada - australian in disguise
07/10/2015 at 06:13 |
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I don’t think a new brand would be taken seriously- the only new ‘luxury’ brand that has made any real inroads in the global market is Lexus. If only there was a struggling carmaker with some of the most evocative, well known and desired brands in the business looking to sell itself.
Speed
> not for canada - australian in disguise
07/10/2015 at 07:52 |
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I think it has potential. When I used to valet, I called Lexus and Acura vehicles socially acceptable Toyotas and Hondas. Even the old American marques such as Cadillac and Buick were just rebodied Chevrolets for decades. When folks buy luxury, they want status and badge engineering goes a long way in making this work.
boxrocket
> TheHondaBro
07/10/2015 at 23:22 |
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The Genesis and Equus are supposed to be their own sub-brand, but I think Hyundai/Kia has seen what Ford/Lincoln, Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura, Nissan/Infiniti, etc. do as a dual-level offering, compared to, say, Chevy/Buick/GMC/Cadillac, VW/Audi/Porsche(/Skoda/Seat/etc.), Fiat/Dodge/Chrysler, etc., where overlap causes internal competition and loaf brand identity.
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boxrocket
> beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard
07/10/2015 at 23:23 |
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Yeah, but Gangnam Style is sooooooo obsolete.