Hyundai Looking To Bring Luxury Arm Genesis To India With Localisation

The brand is looking at local assembly instead of the pricier route of fully-built imports

• Hyundai set up Genesis motor brand in 2015 as its luxury division.

• India entry with localisation intentions confirmed by Hyundai India MD and CEO, Unsoo Kim.

• It includes a range of six luxury sedans and SUVs, some of which are EVs.

• Genesis models globally rival those from the likes of Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo.

Genesis is the luxury automotive brand from the Hyundai Motor Group, much like Lexus for Toyota but without the long history. Usually, the only time you’d see cars from that brand in India would be when there are South Korean delegates arriving but that could change according to a recent report.

Hyundai India MD and CEO, Unsoo Kim, has stated in an interview that the company and its stakeholders have been studying potential for the Genesis brand in India. He mentioned that “local assembly would be favoured as imports would make it unviable”. Kim further added, “It may not happen this year though.” The CKD route would make models a lot less pricier than the CBU route, giving Genesis a competitive chance against the established luxury marquees in India.

The Genesis moniker became its own brand only in 2015 and has already entered a variety of international markets outside of South Korea, such as North America, China, Australia and some parts of Europe. Models under this brand have their own unique styling and naming convention with minimal commonalities to regular Hyundai models. The present lineup comprises three sedans and SUVs, including EVs.

Models from the Genesis lineup are rivals to the likes of Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and Volvo. Even a locally assembled luxury offering would likely be priced around Rs 55 lakh (ex-showroom) with its most premium models likely costing around a crore.

Source