Genesis Motor was eager to disrupt itself for Tiger Woods – but perhaps it was not.
Tuesday’s car accident from Golf Legend shines a spotlight on the fleeing luxury auto brand as it tries to raise its profile.
It was launched five years ago by parent company Hyundai, rolling out five high-end models, including the GV80 SUV, after Woods rolled onto an accident-prone road in suburban Los Angeles.
The unexpected attention could give the brand a much-needed boost at a time when it is struggling with a lack of sales, auto analysts told the Post.
“I hate to use it [saying] Carl Breyer, executive analyst at Car Publishing’s website iSeeCars.com, said, “There is no such thing as bad publicity, but more awareness of Genesis was a week ago.” “Any bad news can be disastrous for 24 hours or 48 hours … but awareness of origins will remain for much longer.”
The Genesis was only a high-end model in Hyundai’s lineup before the South Korean car giant emerged as a standalone brand in 2015.
Analysts say the move was meant to help Hyundai counter the upscale label from other Asian automakers such as Toyota’s Lexus and Honda’s Acura, as well as luxury stalwarts such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW.
Genesis and its vehicles have won numerous industry awards over the years, including four consecutive No. 1 rankings among JD Power’s premium brands. Preliminary quality study.
But Genesis is still a small player in the US, where it also holds up against American-owned rivals such as Cadillac and Lincoln. According to CFRA research analyst Garrett Nelson, Genesis only accounted for 16,000 of the approximately 14.5 million cars sold in the states last year. Its 2020 sales were down about 24 percent from the previous year through September, for which the genesis last month Released
sales figures.
“It’s much smaller than other luxury brands,” Nelson told the Post. “The luxury market is very competitive. You have all automakers with at least one luxury brand. “
Genesis has tried to promote itself in recent years by sponsoring sporting events, including the Genesis Invitational Golf Tournament that was hosted with Woods at LA’s Riviera Country Club last week.
A $ 48,900 SUV that the brand launched in October, two days before a smiling Woods crashed with an Genesis GV80. A Woods havoc appeared to be courtesy with a car adorned with the Genesis logo on the front door – making it difficult for the company to ignore.
“I am shocked to hear this morning that Tiger was in an accident,” North America chief executive Mark Del Rosso said in a statement. Posted on twitter On Tuesday evening. “Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.”
Woods suffered a serious leg injury, but survived it – perhaps thanks to the GV80’s safety features, including 10 air bags and “collision-rescue-assist” technology.
While the story may have been different if Woods were not alive, for now, according to analysts, the accident may have ended to assure consumers about the safety of Genesys’ cars.
“It does not appear that there was a malfunction in the car or any malfunction of the equipment or anything like that,” Nelson said. “On the contrary, it could be just the opposite, where people look at Mango’s vehicle and wonder how anyone could escape and feel it because he was very well protected in that vehicle.”
“It was not Cadillac’s fault when he had done this before in the Escalade,” Brewer noted.
Leave a Reply