Hyundai Announces Genesis Luxury Brand

Genesis Logo

A decade or so ago, if I told you Hyundai would have cars that can rival true luxury brands in terms of features, you’d likely have me committed. Well, the brand did that with its Equus and Genesis Sedan first, and now even its more mainstream models are loaded with high-end features in their higher trim levels. Today, the automaker has announced it will take this a step further and release an entire luxury brand.

Unsurprisingly, this brand will carry the “Genesis” name, as it plays on the popularity of the brand’s existing luxury rig. Hyundai claims that the new Genesis luxury brand will go toe-to-toe with the luxury brands of the world in an attempt to snag up buyers who are new to the luxury-car segment.

Hyundai also announced that the new brand will have a super-fast rollout, as the first models will launch in December 2015. Given its fast launch, chances are that the existing Equus and Genesis will switch to this new marquee when it launches.

Though the Equus and Genesis will arrive under this new automaker’s umbrella in form, they will carry all-new names. Hyundai has announced that all models under this new brand will carry names that include a “G” for Genesis followed by a two-digit number that indicates their position in the lineup. For example, the Equus could become the G80 and the Genesis would likely become the G70.

Hyundai also announced that the new Genesis brand will have a familiar logo. It will adopt a modified version of the winged logo (above) on the current Genesis Sedan.

In addition to the model(s) set to debut in December, Hyundai plans to have a total of six Genesis models by the year 2020.

Stay tuned for more updates. Given the new moniker’s launch is right around the corner, details should start flowing in very soon.