In the highly competitive U.S. automotive market, Hyundai Motor’s luxury brand, Genesis, is rapidly expanding its presence, garnering a high preference among Japanese brand enthusiasts. Genesis has been steadily catching up with Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury brand, which entered the U.S. market 30 years ahead of the Korean brand, and is now setting its sights on overtaking Acura, Honda’s luxury division.
According to data compiled by the renowned U.S. automotive statistics publication GoodCarBadCar on the 11th, Hyundai Motor’s luxury brand sales in the United States have soared from 6,948 units in 2016 to 61,995 units from January to November this year, marking a nearly tenfold increase in the past seven years. With an average monthly sale of approximately 5,600 units this year, assuming this trend persists throughout December, annual sales are projected to reach around 67,600 units. This growth represents an average increase of about 60% annually from 16,384 units sold in 2020 to the present.
In the previous year, Genesis surpassed Infiniti by selling 56,198 units and continues to lead through September this year. Infiniti reports its U.S. sales on a quarterly basis, and the performance for October and November has yet to be disclosed.
Acura is the next target for Genesis to surpass. Until Genesis’ debut in the U.S. in 2016, Acura’s sales were 23 times higher than Genesis. However, this gap decreased to 8.4 times in 2020 and further to 2.1 times this year. The sales gap between Lexus, Toyota’s luxury brand, and Genesis has also narrowed from 48 times in 2016 to 17 times in 2020, and currently stands at 4.6 times. Among major global automakers, only four brands—Acura, Infiniti, Lexus, and Genesis—started as volume car manufacturers before venturing into the luxury car market, setting them apart from luxury car companies like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Porsche that began as luxury car manufacturers.
Future models such as GV80 Coupe will help Genesis to achieve this
Japanese automakers targeted the North American market by launching luxury car brands in the 1980s. Infiniti debuted in 1986, while Acura and Lexus entered the U.S. market in 1989. The prestige these three brands hold in the U.S. luxury car market has been built steadily over nearly 40 years.
Genesis, which became an independent brand eight years ago, released its first-generation model in Korea in January 2008. Until it became an independent premium brand in November 2015, Genesis was part of Hyundai Motor’s lineup. Genesis entered the U.S. market in August 2016 with the G80 model, marking 7 years and 4 months since the brand was first introduced in the U.S.
In the U.S. market, Genesis is targeting young consumers by promoting advanced specifications, a departure from the focus on middle-aged consumers seen in Japanese brands. In August, Hyundai Motor’s luxury brand claimed the top spot in overall brand rankings in the U.S. ‘J.D. Power Tech Experience Study’, surpassing Lexus, BMW, and others.
In terms of design, the luxury carmaker is recognized as a brand with exceptional finesse in the U.S. market. While Lexus receives praise for embodying a traditional luxury brand image, Genesis is acclaimed for its sophistication and modernity. In the U.S. luxury car market, Genesis is now being compared to German luxury car brands. Last year, the U.S. automotive magazine MotorTrend named the Genesis G90 as the ‘2023 Car of the Year’.
