 Media Credit: Tom Pennington/MCT Campus Middle-class car buyers are going to see the Genesis as the new real thing.
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Today Americans are experiencing the ripple effects of a global economic crisis of which the United States is the epicenter. Some of the world's leading financial management firms have experienced significant net losses, public and private bankruptcies abound, and job loss is prolific. Price increases in virtually every market sector are hounding families and individuals alike and causing people to reevaluate their financial planning. In the midst of such economic and environmental crises, automakers are in a transitory period and are doing some reevaluating of their own. They are asking: What new cars will sell in today's distressed market?
In 1986, Hyunda+i Motor Company began selling basic and affordable transportation in the United States. Although undercutting the competition by 20-25 percent, the cars were, in one word, inferior. They had inferior build quality, styling, and ergonomics. As the earliest Hyundai cars rusted their way into the 1990s, Honda and Toyota sustained their roles as leaders of the economy and family car markets. But even as the latter two Japanese companies continue to sell class-leading vehicles in 2008, they have both eyes focused on the competition: not Ford or GM, but a Korean automaker that has moved 180 degrees from its past, and is actively drawing a wide range of buyers in today's new car market. Hyundai states on its Web site that "the barrier to luxury has been officially kicked in." Take the 2009 Genesis for example; offered with a class-leading 5-year, 60,000 miles warranty, Hyundai's luxury super-sedan takes on luxury brands like Lexus (owned by Toyota) with style and confidence. Hyundai Genesis is an attractive package whose mantra is to provide performance and luxury features that are normally demanded in this market, for thousands of dollars less.
At a base price of just $38,000, the Genesis attempts to take on cars that cost twice its own price. Offered with a 375 horsepower V8 engine, its 0-to-60 mph time of 5.69 seconds beats both the BMW 750i ($82,505) and the Porsche Boxster ($56,165). Although normally pitted against cars costing $15,000-20,000 more (Lexus GS460, Jaguar XF, BMW 550i), it is noteworthy that the Genesis can compete with flagship sedans in even higher price ranges. Its heated and cooled leather seats are reportedly softer than those of the Lexus GS460 and although horsepower is up from the Lexus, gas mileage is a competitive 19 miles per gallon (city/highway combined). The 17-speaker Lexicon sound system, a variation of which can be found in the $400,000 Rolls Royce Phantom, sounds better than your home theater, and a rear-backup camera will aid the drivers if they are driving-in-reverse-challenged. A 40 gig-hard-drive navigation system and front headlights that turn when you turn the wheel prove that the Genesis is, through and through, a proper luxury vehicle by today's standards.
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