The £50K Hyundai - A tough sell?

[Willy Nilly]

Selmer Mk6 said:

Audi is supposedly the benchmark for quality interiors now, that is why there is a comparison. In terms of premium price, how much does a petrol premium German car cost with it specced the same. If the Genesis is the size of an S Class then £50k is not premium, a Merc must cost in region of £70k plus.

£70,000 doesn't buy you much S Class, the Popular Plus model by the looks of it

http://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk/content/unitedking...

[mattley]

Troubleatmill said:

It is an amazingly nice place to be in.

I was in one for a week.

Couldn't fault it.

So Hyudai have made their move into the high end and have done it well.

Hyuandi sold loads of mediocre cars to people who just wanted a car, and they were very good at that, they now have a customer base with a good experience of the cars and the dealer network.

They've played their game, will it work? let's see, I thinks they've got a good chance.

[Selmer Mk6]

Willy Nilly said:

£70,000 doesn't buy you much S Class, the Popular Plus model by the looks of it

http://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk/content/unitedking...

Indeed, a S500 starts at over £80k. Now that is a premium price!

[Willy Nilly]

Selmer Mk6 said:

Willy Nilly said:

£70,000 doesn't buy you much S Class, the Popular Plus model by the looks of it

http://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk/content/unitedking...

Indeed, a S500 starts at over £80k. Now that is a premium price!

Does that even come with a radio cassette player?

[thelawnet]

Selmer Mk6 said:

Audi is supposedly the benchmark for quality interiors now, that is why there is a comparison. In terms of premium price, how much does a petrol premium German car cost with it specced the same. If the Genesis is the size of an S Class then £50k is not premium, a Merc must cost in region of £70k plus.

They aren't in the same market segment, the Genesis competes with the Buick LaCross, Ford Taurus, and other saloons-by-the-yard that are irrelevant in the UK.

The Hyundai S-Class is the Equus, which starts at $61,500 (compared with $51,500 for the Genesis with the same 5.0 V8)

Even Lexus have basically given up selling their LS, so it's hard to see how Hyundai can expect to sell any cars.

[Spare tyre]

I'm based in California at the mo

A lot of em buzzing about, look really good

[200bhp]

They'll sell thousands of them here in Australia where there are fewer badge snobs than the UK.

[leglessAlex]

I'd probably buy one if I had £48k. Seems to come with an awful lot of kit as standard, looks pretty nice to me and is something different. Most people that have been in one seem to think the quality is more or less there and if you were really tht fussed about the badge you could just take the H badge off the back an no one would be any the wiser, not to mention the fact that while I'm sure the equivalent Audi A8 is slightly better made it's also £10k more.

[Spare tyre]

I'm based in California at the mo

A lot of em buzzing about, look really good

[anonymous-user]

Sheepshanks said:

CYMR0 said:

This is a car that sells for $38k in the US (so £24k + VAT), which means that the UK price is not just unrealistic in this market, it bears no resemblance to the car's manufacturing cost or its intended global market.

Lots of manufacturers do that though - look at Honda; seen as cheap cars in the US (they have Acura for 'upscale'). Where the same models are offered they cost about the same in dollars as they do in pounds here.

The £1:$1 ratio is generally spot on when it comes to US to UK pricing - Its almost as if Ford changed the dollar sign to a pound one for the Mustang prices but still the Mustang is seen as something as a bargain on the UK market.

At £38,000, with a decent standard spec the Genesis MAY have had a slim chance of shifting a couple of units and not being a complete flop - Considerably cheaper and far better equipped than a comparably powered BMW or Mercedes before you have even touched the spec sheet, the odd bargain hunter might give one a look.

At touching 50 grand its 5 grand more expensive than the most comparable 5 series (535i). I know the Hyundai will have a better spec, but £5k should buy enough options on a 535i to make it bearable.

Trying to compete directly on price with the established German brands in this market segment is suicide.

[Krupp Stahl]

I'm trying to think of a suitable analogy to describe the likely depreciation on that.

Something along the lines of an anvil falling off a cliff.

It would be a brave choice for that reason alone. I bet it's a bloody good car though.

Edited by Krupp Stahl on Friday 22 May 06:47

[kambites]

I'd certainly consider it if I was in the market for this sort of car, but then I'm not so that's not very helpful.

I'd tend to agree that they'll struggle to sell them in a country as badge-snobbish as the UK but they seem to sell pretty well elsewhere. My experience of the Genesis (the previous one, I suspect this one is better) is that they're considerably better engineered than the German cars but don't have quite the veneer of interior quality. Judging by the development of the rest of the range I'd imagine they've improved that but they probably still don't have Audi's levels soft-touch plastics in bits of the cabin you'd never touch.

[drivin_me_nuts]

Looking around at the number of smaller Hyundai and Kia cars on the road, it won't be long before those in their mid range cars look elsewhere. If these companies can offer an equivalent product at the same levels of finance and lease arrangements, then they will slowly erode the German's hold on those segments. It's a big couple of ifs though.

It's all very well this change of marketing to heavily push the three year old 'disposable' lease car, but it has a twist. And it is those who then start to say they'll take a 'chance' on something else for a change. The reputation of BMW reliability wise is hardly something to write home about and the Japanese/far eastern beat them every time in that area. For some, substance is more important that surface style and it's those for whom these cars are made. Conversely, I see an awful lot of Kia Sportage models around. It only takes one person to try it and say how they like the product for others to follow. Fashion and trends are fickle and the grip that the germans have is one more of lease costs. Break that and they'll see their lovely little safe middle england aspirational sales model stall.

[Howard-]

DoctorX said:

I tend to agree but at the end of the day they are seen as an aspirational car and people want to be seen driving them. I suspect this would be the case if the plastics came from a Christmas cracker.

This was the point I was getting at. In many peoples' minds, nothing says "I've made it" like a white Audi A3 S-Line with a 1.6 diesel engine, but in reality there really isn't anything special about these cars.

[Mr Adds]

The outside looks like a cross between a Peugeot 508 and the new Mondeo, but the interior looks like a very nice place to be.

[jonnM]

grahamr88 said:

Nothing says "well-made" like a 1 in 27 engine failure rate http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/consumer-new...

"the only firm whose cars had a worse engine failure rate than Audi was MG Rover."

They don't mention that in their adverts.

[budfox]

You could buy a bloody nice second-hand 5 series with the first year's depreciation.

[WinstonWolf]

Willy Nilly said:

WinstonWolf said:

It's the little touches on the Hyundai that will let it down.

• Front of seat bases feature PU artificial leather.

Only mentally ill people spend money on leather seats anyway. Leather seats are a triumph of marketing over common sense

Only s make sweeping generalisations but don't let that stop you...

WinstonWolf said:

We've got an A8 and an I20, the difference is beyond compare. Hyundai need to up the quality significantly for people to spend large sums on the vehicles. The I20 is fine for what it is, an appliance to get you from A to B cheaply.

Are we talking perceived quality with damped cup holders, soft touch plastics and doors that sound nice when they close or actual quality where the car just works?

Both, they are not mutually exclusive qualities.

Hyundai body panels for example, so thin they flex when you touch them, the moment you put the i20 in a car park it spontaneously dents. Hyundai are good for what they are, an appliance with an excellent warranty.

[The Badger]

There's a lot of little Englanders on here.

[Howard-]

I just noticed the A8 vs I20 comparison... Why on earth is a near bottom of the pile Hyundai being compared to a flagship Audi which could probably approach a 6-figure price if you specced one up?