The recent launch of Hyundai Motor’s luxury brand Genesis is important for the continued growth of the nation’s top automaker, which is facing falling profitability.

The move was also meaningful for the automaker’s generational power shift.

Hyundai’s luxury midsize sedan Genesis was first introduced in 2008 by Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Mong-koo, 77. The birth of the Genesis paved the way for Hyundai’s leap into the global luxury car market.

Seven years later, his only son Chung Eui-sun, 45, the heir apparent of the automotive group, took the podium to introduce the Genesis as the company’s luxury brand. Loaded with the mission to nurture the Genesis as a globally competitive brand in the segment, he declared the new start of Hyundai Motor, while explaining the brand vision. 

“The success of Genesis will become a test bed for his leadership in the power transition,” said Kim Phil-soo, an automotive engineering professor at Daelim University.

During a press conference held at the brand launch event, Junior Chung expressed his mixed emotions of anticipation and concern in the face of a daunting task. But he said he would not be afraid of changes and challenges for the better, armed with more resources compared with the previous generation.

One of the key resources he has secured for the Genesis brand is experienced global talents in design and brand development. The group vice chairman has built a model to utilize global resources in advancing areas where Hyundai has weaknesses. 

Peter Schreyer, current president and the chief design officer for Hyundai-Kia, is one of those who Junior Chung attracted in person to save Kia Motors from its slump after he moved to Kia as CEO in 2005.

Schreyer, who joined Kia in 2006, brought life to the Kia brand by completing Kia’s family look with the signature “tiger nose” grille.

The veteran German automobile designer has also developed the design identity of Genesis, called “athletic elegance.”

“Athletic elegance is illustrating like the moment of tension and energy when an arrow is discharged by the archer in a fraction of a second,” Schryer said at the launch event. “The elegance of movement combined with an explosion of energy when a javelin goes off.”

G90, the first Genesis model, who adopted the athletic elegance concept in its design, will debut next month in Seoul with a different nameplate of EQ 900.

Hyundai said Genesis’ brand identity will be developed and evolved further by Luc Donckerwolke. The former Bentley design boss, who will report to Schreyer, will join Hyundai early next year to lead the newly created prestige design division for the Genesis brand. 

Some market watchers expected that Chung’s English communication skills, clear vision creation and offer of empowerment to global professionals would lead to progress, as scheduled in developing Genesis as a global brand, like he did at Kia.

Albert Biermann, division head of Hyundai’s performance brand N, hinted at how things work between junior Chung and foreign executives. Chung also attracted the former head of BMW’s performance brand M to Hyundai last year.

“When I had a meeting with the group vice chairman, he explained to me how he wants to go into the future with the Hyundai’s sporty sub-brand N and how to develop Hyundai into the modern premium brand. ... I really liked the way he was telling me about the strategy and how to proceed at Hyundai,” he said in a meeting with the Korean press, held at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

“Then I thought working with the fast-moving Hyundai people could be a lot of fun. … Hyundai has a different spirit. We have a CEO with clear vision and then he goes and everybody goes. We just go. There are not many discussions and arguments and I just like it a lot,” he said.



Above is the second in a two-part story on Hyundai Motor’s launch of a new premium brand “Genesis.” -- Ed.



Seo Jee-yeon (jyseo@heraldcorp.com)