I can't see myself spending over 40k on a car... but should life takes me to more fruitful directions, I can see myself getting a luxury car... M3 or M5 My company car is a 2010 E350 sedan and 2007 BMW 328i sedan... benz does not impress me much, but the bimmer is quite fun.
Sure, if I had the money. Hyundai makes a very good and reliable car plus (if memory serves me correct) most of their brand is actually made in the USA thus making maintenance/parts easier on the wallet than all of the German and Euro brands.
LOL.. did the shop happen to be a MB shop? it's a fact that MB's and BMW's reliability are not that far from each other
I'm curious as to why Hyundai didn't go the Toyota model and create a new luxury brand (Lexus) to separate the two. The term "Hyundai" obviously has a certain connotation to it that doesn't embody the ideals of luxury vehicles. To overcome that hump and successfully market a luxury vehicle in the US seems to be a huge uphill battle... when they could have created a new brand and kept Hyundai and the new brand separate (separate dealerships, separate marking/advertising... just like toyota and lexus).
Hyundai has 2 brands already, Hyundai and Kia I doubt they'll invest in another when those 2 are not household names yet.
That was my first reaction as well. But now, I'm thinking that the motivation was to use this model to help change the Hyundai brand image to better sell other cars, not because they hope or expect to sell many Equus. It's a common buying psychology for a consumer to avoid the cheapest and most expensive options, so product strategies are often built around that. Maybe the Genesis will sell better now that it isn't the most expensive Hyundai you can get.
This. (Unless you are a multi-millionaire, but chances are if you're a multi-millionaire you don't spend money on depreciating assets very much). If you're going to sell a luxury car, re-brand it. Don't use the same brand as the cheap cars. People pay for the status of the brand name when they spend that much on a car. Toyota makes luxury cars too, they just call it a Lexus.
I just don't think its that easy to change the brand image of a company... most especially in the automotive industry where vanity plays a big part of the purchase by customers ("I drive a beamer/lexus/benz" vs "I drive a equus") In high end automotives, i believe customers often tie their self-worth into the vehicle purchase (aka i want to signal to the world that I have a ton of disposable income)... the stamp of the word "Hyundai" on a vehicle won't do that because the term "hyundai" signals a buyer who is careful with his money and wants quality at an affordable price. this is the antithesis of the luxury car buyer. they want all the accessories of a luxury car BUT with a recognizable luxury name to boot. but who knows? maybe it will work for hyundai after all. I'm not holding my breath though.
Well, I wasn't suggesting they'll be able to change everyone's mind about Hyundai with this one little ploy. But, it's a little step in their transformation. "Hyundai" didn't always mean quality at an affordable price -- it used to just mean cheap. They got much better on the quality and then did that 100k mile transferable warranty to call attention to the fact, and perceptions started shifting a bit. Hyundai also used to sell just small cars, but now (including the Equus) have a more full line, like Ford -- small, midsize, fullsize, SUV, sport, hybrid, and now luxury. So, perceptions can continue to shift a bit so people can think of Hyundai as a full-line car company that provides good value. In that line of thinking, having a Hyundai-branded Equus makes a lot of sense to me, even if they don't sell a single one.
No it wasn't. He didn't mentioned BMW as either better or worse than other cars; just that the MB's are pretty crappy as far as mechanic reliability goes. I should note that this was about 5 years ago and he only did it for a year. Maybe MB's quality has gone up.
that's a huge investment to do that. Aside from all the marketing, advertising that you mentioned you would have to build seperate dealerships. Imagine the work to do that with all the hiring, staffing, inventory, processes that would have to go into it to build a seperate brand. It's not easy and definitely not cheap and takes a huge amount of effort. Also if they did do that there is no telling their cars will sell so it might be a failed investment. Releasing the car under hyundai definitely minimizes that risk. At least it doesnt have the ugly italic H on the hood.
Hyundai Genesis is also a luxury car too. Hyundai right now is very promising. Sales are picking up with their Elantra/Sonata, and thus giving them more exposure I have seen more NEW Hyundais in the last 6 months in Orange County/LA than any other brands. I saw the new Equus on the road 2 days ago, and many Genesis. People shouldn't buy a car b/c of the brand. Buy it b/c it's reliable and affordable. Unless you have a boatload of money, 40-50k on a car is really stupid. I believe the Kia Optima won car of the year on cars.com, over the 5 series. Those Koreans are stepping their game up. In 5 years or so, their names will be regarded in a much higher light if they keep their level of improvement. Remember the same was said about Toyota when they first started, and then it skyrocketed in popularity. Hyundai/Kia just needs to continue to sell, and continue to have the same rave feedback/reviews, and their value will go up. That is true. But Hyundai is not fully established with their own brand yet in terms of value. Who is going to take them seriously and buy their luxury car? and let alone create a brand new luxury brand. Remember, Hyundai has a goal of selling 2-3k of the Equus in the first 6 months-1year. When the Lexus LS came out, it sold 35k in 6 months. Why? B/c Toyota was well established. Furthermore, Lexus made cars that made the Germans scared. It was a little bit cheaper, and it was way more superior in terms of reliability and comfort. I don't think anybody has associated Hyundai with reliability yet; it's simply affordability. Until then, I think it's best for them to continue to establish their names, and putting out these luxury cars to show their ambition.
i wouldnt buy the first years model but maybe after some time. Doesn't look that bad (although the grill is a little buick like, which isnt a good thing imo). They have really come into a good place with their cars overall.
