Sorry, my comment was in response to Mitlov's post :..."For him, buying a luxury car was about the quiet, comfortable ride and the great interior, not the badge."
No RWD 375hp V8 in the mainstream but I would see the Taurus (AWD, EcoBoost), Maxima and Buick LaCrosse as alternatives for this market.
But since you brought this up, does RWD, 375hp V8 and all the features in the world make a luxury vehicle? I think we can agree to disagree here.
Yes, I believe it does. Your definition of a luxury vehicle is clearly different than mine. For me, I don't simply look at the symbol on the hood, I look at what is offered in terms of features, fit and finish, performance, etc in respect to what is offered by other manufacturers. While Hyundai is not a luxury car manufacturer in general, the Genesis Sedan IS a luxury Sedan. The badge on the hood means absolutely nothing to me, but I guess it does to you. To each their own.
Was G8 GT/GXP a luxury vehicle? It was RWD, V8, 350/400 hp. IMO it was not although it had many high end features too.
No, the badge it's not everything for a luxury car, but it's a must. The luxury IMO is in the design, execution, materials, technology, attention to details, exclusivity, etc.
The Genesis interior, while it is fine overall, it just doesn't inspire luxury to me. Te exterior is a bit better in this respect.
If I was a true luxury buyer and not a wanabe (money not an issue), I would certainly look elsewhere.
Having, said that, for the first serious shot at luxury, Hyundai did very well except that it should start a luxury brand from scratch just like Toyota, Honda, Nissan did. Trying to convert Hyundai into a premium/luxury brand it's not going to work. Until very recently, Hyundai was a bottom of the barrel manufacturer. It takes more than few years to jump to the luxury. In addition, having a brand to sell both mainstream and (truly) luxury cars it's not going to work IMO.
This is just my opinion of course....
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Of course the G8 is not a luxury vehicle. But then again, where did I say that ANY car with a V8 is considered to be luxury? The only reason I brought up the V8 in the first place is because you claim that MANY mainstream vehicles offer all of what the Genesis does. A 375HP V8 is typically not found in mainstream vehicles. That was my point. But while we are talking about V8s, the vast majority of luxury car manufacturers offer one. MB, Infiniti, Lexus, Audi, and BMW all do. I think it's great that Hyundai gave that option in the Genesis.
The Genesis interior may not inspire luxury to you, but I still consider it to be a luxury interior. BMW interiors I find are some of the most uninspiring interiors out there, but I would still consider them to be luxury. You also mentioned that if you were a true luxury buyer where money was no object that you would look elsewhere. Well of course, who wouldn't. I think everyone would take a Bentley or a Maybach over the Genesis. But in today's economy, money is certainly a factor and plays a factor for the majority of us when purchasing a vehicle. The Genesis simply offers a lot of bang for your buck compared to the competition, in the same way the Infiniti G did (and still does) when it came out.