Former Lamborghini boss to head up new Genesis brand
Hyundai’s new Genesis sub-brand will be run by former Lamborghini brand and design director Manfred Fitzgerald (below), the Korean company has announced.
The 52-year-old will join his old VW Group colleague Luc Donckerwolke, who recently left his post at Bentley to take on a role at the top of Hyundai’s design team.
Fitzgerald is being given the job title of senior vice president, which will see him “take a core role in brand strategy, marketing and other business operations within the Genesis brand”.
According to a statement from Hyundai, Fitzgerald is tasked with gaining the fledgling brand “a strong foothold in the global luxury car market”.
New luxury brand
Following the lead of Citroen’s DS sub-brand, the Genesis badge will adorn “human-centred” luxury cars designed to take on the established premium brands such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and Lexus.
However, the Genesis brand will be differentiated by choosing to “distance itself from the traditional technological overload of brand-focused competitors”, instead offering a “personalized, hassle-free customer experience”.
A statement from Hyundai gave a hint at the character of the new brand, saying: “Fitted with the latest proactive safety technologies, intuitive convenience features and IT connectivity, Genesis models are engineered to provide excellent ride comfort while retaining confident sportiness.”
The luxury image will be backed up by a new take on the winged logo found on the current Hyundai Genesis.
Woong-Chul Yang, Hyundai’s vice chairman, said: “The Genesis models will provide technological innovation, excellent driving performance and luxury to customers. Every Genesis model will be created with the needs of our customers in mind, so the resulting car will perfectly meet their needs without any unnecessary burden or excess.”
Flagship G90 renderings revealed
Back in November, Hyundai released an official rendering of its new Genesis luxury brand’s flagship G90 saloon - the first of six new models to launch by 2020.
The new model, pictured below, is dubbed the G90 and will take on the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Jaguar XJ.
Take a look at our Hyundai Genesis leasing deals here: Business / Personal