When you're used to selling Accents and Elantras everyday, being tossed a premium sedan, sporting rear-wheel drive and a V8 has the potential to be a bit of a shock. That's what Hyundai sales people are going to be faced with when the Genesis makes its way to dealers in the latter half of '08.
The heads at Hyundai are well aware of this fact and intend to put dealers through some form of educational program in order to equip them with the tools necessary to convert showroom goers into happy customers. But it won't be easy.
[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]
The plan is to thoroughly educate at least one sales rep at each dealership on the Genesis and the platform siblings that will share its underpinnings. From there, it's all about the "customer experience" getting the Emeril treatment and focusing on pushing a product that, until recently, was the antithesis of Hyundai's lineup.
Especially considering the price premium that the Genesis will demand – between $30,000 and $40,000 – Hyundai dealers will have their work cut out for them. Based on Hyundai's recent successes, we think they've got a shot. Now about that coupe...
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dausman @ May 7th 2007 10:12AM
Hope the guys in the service/maintenance department are highly trained also...guess it would be somewhat easier to service than FWD/AWD but I am no expert by any stretch of anyone's imagination.
Rick Lyon @ May 7th 2007 10:54AM
This will go the way of the VW Phaeton (?). Hyundai is used to lower to middle class buyers and now they'll are shooting upscale. Yet, Hyundai dealers themselves are anything but classy or upscale. I don't see how they will move these vehicles at their current dealers if VW couldn't (granted the VW was grossly over priced)
Rick Lyon @ May 7th 2007 10:54AM
follow- Hyundai needs to do what the rest do, create an upscale brand with upscale dealers.
$0.02 @ May 7th 2007 11:52AM
I have sold cars for nrmerous manufacturers and the idea that saleseople receive 'special' training for fwd/awd/rwd. Well, maybe a video or a binder but this article is an article to fill space.
EnviroBob @ May 7th 2007 12:31PM
This car continually gets compared to the Phaeton. There's a huge difference between a $35,000 car and a $70,000 car. The Genesis is supposedly going to start for $1 - 2 G more than an Azera, topping out at about $6 - 8 G more. It's not that far of a reach, especially seeing as the average Azera transaction price is just shy of $30,000. It wasn't all that long ago that the thought of a $32,000 Toyota would have brought laughter from most people.
Having managed a Hyundai store, I can tell you first hand that they are more proactive in training their sales people than other brands.
Calebe @ May 7th 2007 12:59PM
I got a great deal on my new Honda Civic. Only $79,595. Don't laugh. The time will come when that is true.
kris @ May 7th 2007 2:37PM
Calebe
That's right, it's called inflation. Given the current average yearly rate and assuming Honda keeps their price increases at or around that rate, it'll be about 50 years.
Jason Watson @ May 7th 2007 2:55PM
Hyundia is the upscale brand. The low end brand is called Kia.
seoultrain @ May 7th 2007 5:08PM
I very much agree with #2. Hyundai needs a halo brand like lexus or infiniti. Parking a V8 RWD luxury car next to a $10k accent is just bad form. With all the talk about this platform developing into other cars, there would be more than enough upscale models to warrant another brand. It would also enable hyundai to charge a little bit more.
EnviroBob @ May 7th 2007 6:20PM
What's the difference between walking into a Toyota dealer and seeing an $11,000 Yaris and $40,075 fully optioned Avalon Limited sitting next to each other? Or better yet a $56,000 Land Cruiser? That's a bigger stretch than the gap between an Accent and a Genesis.
seoultrain @ May 8th 2007 10:03AM
Bob, that's a good point, but the difference is that toyota has the reputation to warrant $40k for a car (40k for an avalon!? holy crap), and people will pay for it, but hyundai is different. True, their reputation is rapidly getting better, but to someone who knows nothing about cars, hyundai is still the cheap/crappy car brand. that's what years of bad-car jokes does.