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.
No, I did not "claim that MANY mainstream vehicles offer all of what the Genesis does". What I said is that many mainstream cars today offer
quiet,
comfortable ride and a
great interior.
More so, many new mainstream cars offer very high feature content now making it harder for the luxury manufacturers to differentiate themselves on features alone. They have to come up with something else to do so. LOL, my 2005 Mazda3 has auto-lights and rain-sensing wipers, features that some base luxury models from the same time did not have and my 2007 Outlander has Bluetooth, but many base luxury models did not have that at the time. These are just few examples to illustrate the broader point I'm trying to make that an extensive feature set, RWD or V8 alone do not make a luxury car, they are just part of the package.
Don't get me wrong, Hyundai did a good job with Genesis and it's a great car (RWD, optional V8, luxury appointments, etc.), but there are some things still missing before it can be considered a true luxury car. Many people here think otherwise, I don't, and I think we can still get along, right?
Why I don't think Genesis will succeed as a luxury car in the current setup, is because it's missing things that the luxury buyer are looking for - image, prestige, exclusivity (Mitlov, I didn't think exclusivity as how many are on the road, but as a different/superior ownership experience).
Sure, Genesis may look like a rational alternative to a 5-Series, A6, E-Class, but I don't think it would find too many takers. I guess the time will tell.
Like I said before, the previous attempt with the Veracruz failed IMO, but I guess the more they try the better they get.
EDIT: I was looking at the March sales and the numbers seem to support my theory.
The Genesis sedan is the only Hyundai nameplate posting a sales drop.
Mar-10 Mar-09 Change
Genesis (sedan) 91 98 - 7.1%