The beginning for Genesis was in 2015, when it launched in its home market of South Korea. Since then, 'Hyundai's posh brand' has moved into the US, Middle East, China, Germany, Switzerland and now the UK. It's the number one premium brand on its home turf and as well as having a few accolades like the North American Car of the Year under its belt, it's also done rather well in consumer surveys like JD Power.
Will it launch in Ireland then?
Eventually, says Stephen Gleeson, managing director of Hyundai Ireland. He says that the company already sells lots of Santa Fe SUVs at over €60,000 so there's clearly an appetite for luxurious premium models from the brand.
However, he says that big petrol and diesel engines are not the way to go for Genesis in Ireland. Fortunately, some electric models are on the horizon. Initially, Genesis has launched the big G80 saloon and GV80 SUV in its selected European markets. It will follow these up with the slightly smaller G70 and GV70, as well as the G70 Shooting Brake (estate to most of us). The plan is for these to hit markets like the UK in the second half of 2021.
Then things will become electrifying. There will be an all-electric version of the big G80 and a couple of other electric models the company hasn't yet announced. All will be coming down the road in 2022 at which point Gleeson says he has "bullish expectations" for the brand in Ireland. Hyundai is already in a strong position as the third biggest seller of passenger cars in Ireland so far this year, plus its Tucson, just replaced by an all-new version, has been a massive success.
Irish-market success?
It's unlikely Genesis will be a big seller here; after all, it is a premium brand and while it prides itself on value, we're talking about value in the luxury segment. It will have its sights set on taking a few sales away from its biggest rival, Lexus and maybe even from the big German trio of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Nonetheless, that could be enough for it to make commercial sense to the Irish distributor.
As always, when we know, you'll know, so if you've read our reviews of its latest models and want to get in on the book of Genesis then it looks like you might only have to wait a year or two.