Kia/Hyundai/Genesis hierarchy

"Carbon Fiber Sasquatch" (turbopumpkin)
01/27/2018 at 20:03 • Filed to: None

So I thought that Kia was the bargain brand, Hyundai was mainstream and Genesis was luxury brand and while I don’t doubt Genesis as a luxury player I’m confused about the difference between Hyundai and Kia.

Kia can’t be the bargain brand because it has the Stinger and the K900 both of which don’t have Hyundai counterparts but Hyundai clearly is a higher price point especially when you compare similar models between Kia and Hyundai. For example, there’s no N version of anything in the Kia line.

Have they addressed this?

DISCUSSION (10)

jkm7680 > Carbon Fiber Sasquatch
01/27/2018 at 20:17

Kia is still the most bargain of everything.

ranwhenparked > Carbon Fiber Sasquatch
01/27/2018 at 20:32

Hyundai is supposed to be slightly upmarket from Kia, which is why they have the Ns. The K900 and Stinger exist to give Kia dealers some higher end halo cars to sell.

The Stinger is significantly cheaper than the G80, which fits Kia’s usual MO of building lower priced cars than Hyundai on Hyundai’s platforms. The K900 is a bit of a different situation, but its an extremely low volume car, so it doesn’t really matter much. But, it is slightly larger than a G80 and smaller than a G90 and priced in between the two, so I suppose it is something of a bargain for someone looking for a big luxury car.

carcrasher88 > Carbon Fiber Sasquatch
01/27/2018 at 21:14

From an article on Kia from the latest issue of Popular Mechanics (I have the issue, but forgot where I put it, so I just looked it up on Google)

‘Ah yes, Hyundai. Back in 1998, Hyundai bought a bankrupt Kia, and now owns about a third of the company. For the cars bearing either name, think of them as siblings, but not twins. Within the parameters of shared engineering, Hyundai and Kia have fairly wide leeway to design and market their cars in different ways. Not every Kia has a Hyundai equivalent, and vice versa. There is no Kia version of the Hyundai Veloster, no Hyundai version of the Soul. I’d say Kia’s designs skew younger and sportier, in general, but maybe I’m just buying into that hip-hamster-based marketing. Besides introducing anthropomorphic hamsters, Kia has also gradually moved upmarket. Charging more for its cars, says Kia spokesman Neil Dunlop, reflects a deliberate distinction between cost and value—“It’s not about being at the bargain end of the pricing spectrum,” he says. That means modern Kias still tend to be somewhat less expensive than their competitors, but not always. The Cadenza Limited is about $45,000. A totally loaded Lexus ES 350 is only about $3,000 more, while a lesser ES might cost the same. Charging similar prices is part of Kia’s way of saying, We’re not so different from Lexus, you know.’

So, it seems that Hyundai has become the value brand, with Kia being more akin to Dodge, or what Pontiac was intended to be in it’s final years.

So, the hierarchy should be Hyundai->Kia->Genesis, I guess.

Spanfeller is a twat > Carbon Fiber Sasquatch
01/27/2018 at 21:48

I think it depends on how its marketed on each context.

Here in Mexico Kia is seen as higher end than Hyundai because Kia usually sells the more expensive cars, your Sportages, your Optimas, such and such.

But then again, the most expensive car of all Kia/Hyundai here in Mexico is the Stinger (Sorento maybe?) We don’t get the Cadenza or the K900 or Azera, or any of the Genesii

ranwhenparked > carcrasher88
01/27/2018 at 21:55

Yeah, you may be right about that, the traditional order is being reversed. The Kias really are pricier than their Hyundai equivalents, in all but the subcompact and compact car classes, and, with the creation of Genesis and the cancellaon ti the of Azera, Hyundai no longer has counterparts to the Cadenza, K900, and Stinger.

Rio: $13,900/Accent: $14,995

Forte: $16,800/Elantra: $16,950

Optima: $22,600/Sonata: $22,050

Sportage: $23,600/Tuscon: $22,550

Sorento: $25,900/Santa Fe Sport: $24,950

Carbon Fiber Sasquatch > carcrasher88
01/27/2018 at 22:16

Great read! That confirms what I was thinking!

carcrasher88 > ranwhenparked
01/27/2018 at 22:30

There are 5 Kias in the US market that Hyundai does not have a counterpart for the aforementioned Cadenza, K900, and Stinger, plus the Soul and Sedona.

Meanwhile, Kia does not have a counterpart for the Veloster, Santa Fe Sport (technically, the Sorento can be bought in 5-seater configuration, but the wheelbase and body on the outside remain the same, while the Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport are clearly different vehicles, inside and out), and soon, the Kona (as the Stonic has not been confirmed for the US market yet, like the Kona has).

You can also consider the differences between the Ioniq and Niro, since the Niro is marketed as a crossover utility vehicle, despite it’s lack of AWD.

ranwhenparked > carcrasher88
01/27/2018 at 22:40

Also, I don’t believe Hyundai has announced any equivalent to the upcoming Telluride.

carcrasher88 > ranwhenparked
01/27/2018 at 22:51

True. Guess that’s gonna go to the Genesis GV80.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Carbon Fiber Sasquatch
01/27/2018 at 23:08

Isn’t the Genesis just a Hyundai model?