The Genesis is a 3.6 litre V6 with rear-wheel drive. Photos / Ted Baghurst
The Genesis is a 3.6 litre V6 with rear-wheel drive. Photos / Ted Baghurst
The Korean car company has the top European marques in its sights with the $100,000 Genesis
Hyundai New Zealand is hoping that Kiwi buyers will be bowled over by its all-new luxury large sedan, the Genesis, when it launches next week.
As one of the major sponsors of the Cricket World Cup, Hyundai has timed the reveal of the sedan the same day as the opening games of the Australasian international sporting event, February 14.
Produced originally as a left-hand-drive large sedan by the Korean company, and for sale only in the US and in its local market, the second generation rear-wheel-drive model is now right-hand-drive, opening up international sales for the company.
The Genesis is highly specced, with no available extras.
Hyundai NZ's boss, Andy Sinclair, aimed to bring the 3.8-litre, V6 rear-wheel-drive for under $100,000, and he's fulfilled that promise - with $10 to spare.
The highly specced sedan is priced at $99,990 - with no optional packs available because, as Sinclair said at this week's media launch, "we ticked every [specification] box we could possible tick".
While taking aim at the European sedans such as BMW's 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz's E-Class and the Audi A5; Toyota's luxury brand, Lexus, is a close business model.
Last year, 680 large sedans were sold in New Zealand with the main player being the HSV, but Sinclair instead it looking at the European brand Jaguar as a target for sales, with more than 60 registrations last year for its XF large sedan.
"Just over five (sales) a month, puts us with Jaguar while eight a month would be great," said Sinclair. "So somewhere between five and eight a month."
While many European brand owners are city-based badge devotees, Hyundai NZ is targeting townies who want to "reward themselves with a luxury car ... and there isn't always a BMW, Mercedes or Lexus dealership in their town", said Sinclair.
And the Genesis is luxury: from the refined exterior styling to the soft leather interior and reclining seats to all the features you'd find in a European marque.
The Genesis also gets bragging rights of being the safest vehicle tested by Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (Ancap), scoring 36.88 out of 37.
To achieve that score, the Genesis has autonomous emergency braking up to 80km/h, lane detection warning, blind spot monitoring, and radar cruise control that can drive the car nearly automatically in rush-hour traffic.
Then there are the boxes that Sinclair 'ticked': from 19in wheels, 9.2in colour touchscreen, 17 speaker audio system and satnav.
Driven had an exclusive first drive of the flagship Genesis before the media launch.
Yes, it's a large sedan, weighing nearly two tonne and nearly 5m in length so there's no pretence of being a sporty runabout that flounces through corners. Instead it's a solid performer on the road.
That comes to the fore in open road conditions at speed, where the heavier steering and ride gives a confident performance.
There were a few stares from drivers of European brands - especially as the Genesis's front badge vaguely resembles Aston Martin's emblem.
But for those Kiwi buyers who can't afford an Aston, then Hyundai NZ is hoping it scores a six by attracting new customers to the Korean brand who want a luxury car - without having to win Lotto.
