The Long Wait for the Next-Generation Lexus LS

[krew]

krew

In an interview with Car Advice, Lexus International vice-president Mark Templin discussed the delay in releasing the next-generation LS flagship sedan.

View the original article post

 

[Lasse J. Nordvik]

For the most part the current LS doesn't show it's age,but the hybrid's CVT does,having the rubber band response of a second generation Prius. Am I looking forward to the next LS? Oh,boy yes!! But I don't mind a bit that they're taking their time. When a model generation lasts that long, the new one has to be a huge step forward,and I suspect the new LS will be just that.

 

[DOC4Lex]

Take your Time Lexus , we now understand the value of waiting for a Flagship product , it was clearly demonstrated in the LFA which is a master piece of engineering 10 years in development was worth it. Lexus you must command the industry not the other way around. Respect

 

[Gecko]

I thought that when they refreshed the LS for 2013, a few Lexus folks essentially said the refresh was to "hold the LS over for two more years." Eh?

It's 2015, already been two years and waiting another 2 just seems ridiculous to me.

I don't have any doubts that the next LS is going to be a knockout, but this type of product decay does not look good for the brand. The LS is sorely behind it's competitors with regard to performance and MPG, and while it's still a nice luxury vehicle, the S Class and 7 Series are new and the A8 has been heavily updated several times and received new powertrains. It's just looking like Lexus doesn't care anymore.

Another 2 years out would be about the same time as a GS and ES redesign, and an IS a year later. That clumps together a lot of Lexus sedan redesigns for 2017/2018.

The only conclusion I can come to is that engineers were developing an LS that Akio and others deemed to be "not good enough," ... which would be rather embarrassing.

By the time all is said and done, this LS will have spanned two "normal" generations in it's lifetime. If Lexus can develop a car that is truly better than the S Class and 7 Series, I think the wait will have been worth it. However, unless the next LS is truly revolutionary, that's not going to happen. The car is now too old for "evolution" to work, IMO.

 

[RAL]

whew ... 2017 ... well we've waited this long ...

 

[Spunky D]

I thought that when they refreshed the LS for 2013, a few Lexus folks essentially said the refresh was to "hold the LS over for two more years." Eh?

It's 2015, already been two years and waiting another 2 just seems ridiculous to me.

I don't have any doubts that the next LS is going to be a knockout, but this type of product decay does not look good for the brand. The LS is sorely behind it's competitors with regard to performance and MPG, and while it's still a nice luxury vehicle, the S Class and 7 Series are new and the A8 has been heavily updated several times and received new powertrains. It's just looking like Lexus doesn't care anymore.

Another 2 years out would be about the same time as a GS and ES redesign, and an IS a year later. That clumps together a lot of Lexus sedan redesigns for 2017/2018.

The only conclusion I can come to is that engineers were developing an LS that Akio and others deemed to be "not good enough," ... which would be rather embarrassing.

By the time all is said and done, this LS will have spanned two "normal" generations in it's lifetime. If Lexus can develop a car that is truly better than the S Class and 7 Series, I think the wait will have been worth it. However, unless the next LS is truly revolutionary, that's not going to happen. The car is now too old for "evolution" to work, IMO.

My sentiments exactly Gecko.
As I said earlier, my sales manager at Lexus,Melbourne Australia has indicated that the new LS will not be available on sale in Australia till 2018.

 

[LexusSteve]

I thought that when they refreshed the LS for 2013, a few Lexus folks essentially said the refresh was to "hold the LS over for two more years." Eh?

It's 2015, already been two years and waiting another 2 just seems ridiculous to me.

I don't have any doubts that the next LS is going to be a knockout, but this type of product decay does not look good for the brand. The LS is sorely behind it's competitors with regard to performance and MPG, and while it's still a nice luxury vehicle, the S Class and 7 Series are new and the A8 has been heavily updated several times and received new powertrains. It's just looking like Lexus doesn't care anymore.

Another 2 years out would be about the same time as a GS and ES redesign, and an IS a year later. That clumps together a lot of Lexus sedan redesigns for 2017/2018.

The only conclusion I can come to is that engineers were developing an LS that Akio and others deemed to be "not good enough," ... which would be rather embarrassing.

By the time all is said and done, this LS will have spanned two "normal" generations in it's lifetime. If Lexus can develop a car that is truly better than the S Class and 7 Series, I think the wait will have been worth it. However, unless the next LS is truly revolutionary, that's not going to happen. The car is now too old for "evolution" to work, IMO.

I hear you, but there are a few things to consider. To be "Evolutionary" think Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology, TNGA platforms, the fact that the Mirai is about to be released, and look at the IS 200t RWD and the IS 300 AWD reverse engineering debacle. Just hear me out here. Putting the turbo motor into the 3IS with AWD was not favorable because you could not mate it to the AWD system with the 8-speed automatic on the chassis with the way the motor is mounted. Instead for the AWD they detuned the 3.5L to avoid the problem all together. So let's revisit this current generations LS's 2012 refresh and replace it with a completely new generation instead. That LS would not benefit from TNGA, it would not be a FCEV capable platform, and Lexus would still have to spend the money to develop that LS which would feature... what? A refined interior with a different exterior? Maybe with some F Sport treatment. Kind of what we got with the refresh, right? It certainly is not a mass volume selling segment. So I agree with your premise it was being developed, and that Akio said NO. But I do not think it was for nothing, or that it is even embarrassing. Look at how different the next-gen LS will be compared to the competitors. Where are the other FCEV halos? or FCEVs PERIOD? Toyota trailblazing in this territory as usual. Lexus waited this long with the LS, not because they wanted to, it's development has simply taken this long. It happens, you don't want new technology to fail or be released half complete requiring recalls and bad press, and you don't want to try to reverse engineer a platform/powertrain to accommodate advancements as you see from the IS200t/IS300. This LS is going to do a lot of German slaying for Lexus.

 

[Lasse J. Nordvik]

Take your Time Lexus , we now understand the value of waiting for a Flagship product , it was clearly demonstrated in the LFA which is a master piece of engineering 10 years in development was worth it. Lexus you must command the industry not the other way around. Respect

Extremely well put!

 

[James]

I thought that when they refreshed the LS for 2013, a few Lexus folks essentially said the refresh was to "hold the LS over for two more years." Eh?

It's 2015, already been two years and waiting another 2 just seems ridiculous to me.

I don't have any doubts that the next LS is going to be a knockout, but this type of product decay does not look good for the brand. The LS is sorely behind it's competitors with regard to performance and MPG, and while it's still a nice luxury vehicle, the S Class and 7 Series are new and the A8 has been heavily updated several times and received new powertrains. It's just looking like Lexus doesn't care anymore.

Another 2 years out would be about the same time as a GS and ES redesign, and an IS a year later. That clumps together a lot of Lexus sedan redesigns for 2017/2018.

The only conclusion I can come to is that engineers were developing an LS that Akio and others deemed to be "not good enough," ... which would be rather embarrassing.

By the time all is said and done, this LS will have spanned two "normal" generations in it's lifetime. If Lexus can develop a car that is truly better than the S Class and 7 Series, I think the wait will have been worth it. However, unless the next LS is truly revolutionary, that's not going to happen. The car is now too old for "evolution" to work, IMO.

I hear you, but there are a few things to consider. To be "Evolutionary" think Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology, TNGA platforms, the fact that the Mirai is about to be released, and look at the IS 200t RWD and the IS 300 AWD reverse engineering debacle. Just hear me out here. Putting the turbo motor into the 3IS with AWD was not favorable because you could not mate it to the AWD system with the 8-speed automatic on the chassis with the way the motor is mounted. Instead for the AWD they detuned the 3.5L to avoid the problem all together. So let's revisit this current generations LS's 2012 refresh and replace it with a completely new generation instead. That LS would not benefit from TNGA, it would not be a FCEV capable platform, and Lexus would still have to spend the money to develop that LS which would feature... what? A refined interior with a different exterior? Maybe with some F Sport treatment. Kind of what we got with the refresh, right? It certainly is not a mass volume selling segment. So I agree with your premise it was being developed, and that Akio said NO. But I do not think it was for nothing, or that it is even embarrassing. Look at how different the next-gen LS will be compared to the competitors. Where are the other FCEV halos? or FCEVs PERIOD? Toyota trailblazing in this territory as usual. Lexus waited this long with the LS, not because they wanted to, it's development has simply taken this long. It happens, you don't want new technology to fail or be released half complete requiring recalls and bad press, and you don't want to try to reverse engineer a platform/powertrain to accommodate advancements as you see from the IS200t/IS300. This LS is going to do a lot of German slaying for Lexus.

I like your post a lot. Lexus didn't want to take this long but they understood that it's what would have been best for the LS. Also 2017 my car payments end. I don't think I can afford an LS but hey you never know! Excited for the LS!

 

[BOSS]

"you don’t want to bring a new LS to market until you’re ready for it", I hope they're ready!!!

 

[Spunky D]

Courtesy of Motoring Australia an interview with Mark Templin re the next LS

""But Japanese premium brand's BMW 7 Series rival could be worth the wait as turbo V8 firms
When Lexus revealed the shiny new LF-FC limousine concept at last month's Tokyo motor show, it was widely understood to preview the next-generation LS flagship.

Lexus executive vice president Mark Templin insists the big, imposing concept does not preview the new LS, but admits a new Lexus limousine is increasingly late to the party that the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and – soon – BMW's new 7 Series are revelling in.

"It is overdue, I'll admit that," he stated in Tokyo, before confessing that other vehicles that generate more profit for the brand have been the focus.

"When Akio [Toyoda, head of Toyota] asked me to come here four years ago we created a plan. And that plan included a lot of different things. And you can't do them all at once.

"The first stages of the plan were to unify our design language and change every one of our products in less than two years to have a new design language."

He said the company has achieved these goals while adding "more emotional cars, more F Sport cars," and more high-volume SUVs such as the new RX and all-new NX mid-sizer.

The current LS is almost a decade old and has been on sale in Australia since 2007, but despite the wait for its successor, Templin said a new LS remains a "huge priority".

"It's the most sophisticated car in our line-up. You don't want to bring a new LS to market until you're ready for it. So when we do bring the LS to market, you'll see it'll be a fantastic car," he said.

So when will the next Lexus LS break cover?

"We don’t have any announcements to make about the next LS yet," said Templin in terms of launch timing, but he did confirm it would deliver advancements in styling, performance and technology.

"In markets like the US and Australia people buy these cars because they want to drive them. They need to be fun to drive too."

With a car that can be expected to tip the scales north of two tonnes, it's going to need plenty of mumbo to be fun – which is where a new V8 could enter the equation, potentially turbocharged if it's to meet ever-tightening emissions controls.

Asked if the next LS could get a turbo V8, Templin grinned "maybe".

He later confirmed that Lexus would not scrap V8 power for the foreseeable future.

"We really like the V8 in our F performance cars right now. So yeah, I can see us having V8s for a considerable period time. For great big SUVs like the LX too. I don't see us walking away from V8 anytime soon."

 

[Gecko]

I hear you, but there are a few things to consider. To be "Evolutionary" think Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology, TNGA platforms, the fact that the Mirai is about to be released, and look at the IS 200t RWD and the IS 300 AWD reverse engineering debacle. Just hear me out here. Putting the turbo motor into the 3IS with AWD was not favorable because you could not mate it to the AWD system with the 8-speed automatic on the chassis with the way the motor is mounted. Instead for the AWD they detuned the 3.5L to avoid the problem all together. So let's revisit this current generations LS's 2012 refresh and replace it with a completely new generation instead. That LS would not benefit from TNGA, it would not be a FCEV capable platform, and Lexus would still have to spend the money to develop that LS which would feature... what? A refined interior with a different exterior? Maybe with some F Sport treatment. Kind of what we got with the refresh, right? It certainly is not a mass volume selling segment. So I agree with your premise it was being developed, and that Akio said NO. But I do not think it was for nothing, or that it is even embarrassing. Look at how different the next-gen LS will be compared to the competitors. Where are the other FCEV halos? or FCEVs PERIOD? Toyota trailblazing in this territory as usual. Lexus waited this long with the LS, not because they wanted to, it's development has simply taken this long. It happens, you don't want new technology to fail or be released half complete requiring recalls and bad press, and you don't want to try to reverse engineer a platform/powertrain to accommodate advancements as you see from the IS200t/IS300. This LS is going to do a lot of German slaying for Lexus.

You make a lot of great points and many of them I agree with. However, I think it's hard to deny that the timeline should have been something like a new generation of LS debuting in 2012/2013, and then another new one around 2017/2018. This car was a generation old in 2013, when it should have debuted in a redesigned form. By the time the new one comes, we could have had two generations of LS and the newest one would still incorporate all of the things you mention above.

I get and agree with your points about it making more sense to delay the production of the car to capture things like hydrogen and TNGA, but all of it just points to poor product planning. The motor is old, the chassis is old, the design is old. Lexus' flagship sedan is using a motor thats ten years old, 80 horsepower and 3-4 MPG behind the competition... LS has always illustrated the best of Lexus. I don't see a reason that we couldn't have gotten a new LS 2 years ago, and another new one 2 years from now. That's a normal Lexus product timetable.

Toyota seems to have allowed the world to stop to prepare for TNGA, and hopefully it's worth it, but the result is a lineup that is mostly outdated in some capacity, despite nipped and tucked sheetmetal from extensive refreshes.

 

[Gecko]

Quite frankly, I am worried that Toyota has started to give up on traditional gasoline motors and instead invested most of the R&D budget into hybrids and hydrogen. Both are great, but it's clear that Lexus was caught with their pants down with regard to turbocharging.

Engines are ToMoCos' Achilles heel right now, across all product lines.

 

[mikeavelli]

As a current LS owner to my eyes the current exterior is still extremely fresh and good looking. The interior isn't too dated either but it doesn't have some of the plushness of newer rivals. It also feels smaller. What it really lacks is in technology behind others and of course the same tired engine, though reliable. Going from the W222 S-class to the LS today makes me cringe, the S-class is just better in every way imaginable but clearly reliability. Amazingly the F-Sport drives pretty damn good compared to rivals, to me better than most in regards to feedback and sportiness. It just has such a slow throttle response/underpowered that it feels old. The Germans are rockets in comparison with their V-8s and even V-6s.

For me I technically don't want to move into a smaller vehicle, I would prefer to jump straight into a LS F (not F-sport a full F) but the timing just isn't there. Meanwhile while the delays happen the competition is not stopping.

I just hope the new LS debuts out the box with the LS F and we don't have to wait a few years for that. The RC/RC F strategy was great, the GS F coming years after the GS 350 is not the way to go.

To think the LS was originally sold 2005 as a 2006 model is crazy, literally ten years old. To me it has lasted the test of time and I cannot wait to see the next generation.

 

[corradoMR2]

I'm hoping the LS is out in one year from now as a MY '17. I'm a huge fan of the LS including the current gen, but the S-class, XF, 7-series, and Tesla are stiff competitors.

 

[Spunky D]

LEXUS WATCH OUT

Hyundai defends Genesis about-face

Image 1 of 13

PrevNext
Six-model family and growing luxury market behind Hyundai's stand-alone Genesis brand backflip
Hyundai says its decision to produce a six-strong luxury car range is the reason behind its backflip on repeated denials it would establish Genesis as stand-alone global premium brand to rival Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Jaguar.

The ambitious Korean giant last week announced it would do just that, promising six Genesis models by 2020 starting with the G80 (a rebadged version of the large Genesis sedan already sold here) and the G90, a replacement for the Equus limousine available in the US.

An all-new mid-size sedan to rival the BMW 3 Series (G70) is expected to follow in 2017, along with a mid-size crossover, a large SUV and a sports coupe to replace Korea's existing Genesis Coupe.

The G90 was officially previewed earlier this week and has also been spied testing (pictured) ahead of its Korean release in December, but the G80 will be the first Genesis model sold in Australia without Hyundai badges -- next year -- and is expected to be a facelifted version of the current Genesis spied recently in testing (pictured).

Hyundai is yet to confirm which Genesis models will be available globally, and unlike Volkswagen's Audi brand, Toyota-owned Lexus and Nissan's Infiniti, Genesis models will continue to be sold via Hyundai dealerships.

The significant announcement contradicts Hyundai insistence that Genesis would not become a separate premium brand, as it stated in 2012 and again in 2014.

When questioned by motoring.com.au on the change in direction, Hyundai Australia public relations general manager Bill Thomas said the 2008 GFC had merely delayed the company's Genesis sub-brand plans.

"There’s more potential in the global luxury car market, more experience with luxury cars, and more models on the way," he said.

“Our luxury car program began in 2004 when Hyundai started work on first [BH] Genesis, which won North American Car of the Year in 2009.

"When the global luxury car market shrank as a result of the global financial crisis, our plans for a separate brand were delayed.

"Expansion of the Genesis range from two models to six gives us the opportunity to create a true stand-alone brand in an ever-expanding luxury car market, where before it wasn't practicable with only two models.

"Six vehicles gives a broader customer base, and all of these customers demand and expect premium service -- we can provide that exclusive service more effectively with a true stand-alone brand, and match our competition better in the process."

Speaking of the current (DH) Genesis, which succeeded the BH and is the first available in Australia, Thomas said: “Customers love the car. Based on that experience, and years of detailed market research, we have decided to move forward and launch a luxury brand.

“We know some of our Genesis customers in Australia already think of it as a separate brand. It’s clear they have no issue with a separate Genesis identity and by making this decision, in a way we are supporting what’s already out there,” he continued.

The move also contradicts assertions made by Hyundai Motor America CEO David Zuchowski to motoring.com.au last year.

“We talked about it [a standalone brand] in the past; [but] we like what we’ve done now, and that is not really part of our discussions anymore,” Zuchowski said at the 2014 Detroit motor show.

“The investment [to create a new brand] from a company perspective is tremendous. The investment from a dealer perspective is tremendous. The splintering at a brand-building effort is really impactful.

“We actually believe that many of our competitors that have elected to go a different way and create a separate distribution channel for the premium products, might re-think that [if they] had that decision to make today,” he concluded.

Large Genesis models are likely to be based – like Australia's current model -- on a bespoke front-engine/rear-drive platform, but with different wheelbases and all-wheel drive (which is already available in the Genesis sedan in other markets) for the large SUV.

A smaller new chassis architecture could then form the basis of the mooted mid-size sedan, coupe and SUV – much like Jaguar's XE.

As with its luxury brand rivals, there will be significant technical differentiation from Hyundai-badged product to further separate Genesis as a premium brand.

All models will be designed by former Lamborghini and Bentley designer, Luc Donckerwolke, following his defection to Hyundai from the Volkswagen Group June this year.

At this point, however, there has been no confirmation of which Genesis models will be produced in right-hand drive, but the Equus flagship will initially only be aimed at LHD markets like China, Russia, the US and Korea – where it's known as the EQ900 -- and the smaller three models are more likely to be beneficiaries of a profitable RHD business case.

“We will certainly study the potential of every new Genesis for Australia,” Thomas concluded.

 

[Gecko]

More competition is always a good thing - I welcome it!

 

[mikeavelli]

They said the same thing when the Genesis and Equus came out "OMG Lexus watch out" and those things can't sell without 10k off the sticker and they didn't come close to changing the game. They are solid cars of course.

I fully expect the new LS to wow the world.

 

[CIF]

I thought that when they refreshed the LS for 2013, a few Lexus folks essentially said the refresh was to "hold the LS over for two more years." Eh?

It's 2015, already been two years and waiting another 2 just seems ridiculous to me.

I don't have any doubts that the next LS is going to be a knockout, but this type of product decay does not look good for the brand. The LS is sorely behind it's competitors with regard to performance and MPG, and while it's still a nice luxury vehicle, the S Class and 7 Series are new and the A8 has been heavily updated several times and received new powertrains. It's just looking like Lexus doesn't care anymore.

Another 2 years out would be about the same time as a GS and ES redesign, and an IS a year later. That clumps together a lot of Lexus sedan redesigns for 2017/2018.

The only conclusion I can come to is that engineers were developing an LS that Akio and others deemed to be "not good enough," ... which would be rather embarrassing.

By the time all is said and done, this LS will have spanned two "normal" generations in it's lifetime. If Lexus can develop a car that is truly better than the S Class and 7 Series, I think the wait will have been worth it. However, unless the next LS is truly revolutionary, that's not going to happen. The car is now too old for "evolution" to work, IMO.

You make a lot of great points and many of them I agree with. However, I think it's hard to deny that the timeline should have been something like a new generation of LS debuting in 2012/2013, and then another new one around 2017/2018. This car was a generation old in 2013, when it should have debuted in a redesigned form. By the time the new one comes, we could have had two generations of LS and the newest one would still incorporate all of the things you mention above.

I get and agree with your points about it making more sense to delay the production of the car to capture things like hydrogen and TNGA, but all of it just points to poor product planning. The motor is old, the chassis is old, the design is old. Lexus' flagship sedan is using a motor thats ten years old, 80 horsepower and 3-4 MPG behind the competition... LS has always illustrated the best of Lexus. I don't see a reason that we couldn't have gotten a new LS 2 years ago, and another new one 2 years from now. That's a normal Lexus product timetable.

Toyota seems to have allowed the world to stop to prepare for TNGA, and hopefully it's worth it, but the result is a lineup that is mostly outdated in some capacity, despite nipped and tucked sheetmetal from extensive refreshes.

Fact is, we don't really know what has caused the delay for the next LS. What we do know, is that the longer fans and current LS owners wait, the higher anticipation and expectations grow. I'm sure Lexus is aware of this.

We can only take a guess that possibly, the 2011 tsunami disaster in Japan delayed the LS, along with a few other projects. We can also guess that it's possible the LS development was stopped because it was deemed not good enough by Akio Toyoda, and had to be revamped/re-started.

IMHO, the best way to look at it is like this; either we could have had a (lesser) redesign of the LS, say in 2013, or we keep waiting, for an expectedly more radical, and more revolutionary LS whenever it finally lands. Given this, which kind of next-gen LS would you prefer? A lesser redesign would have already been on the market yes, but it also likely would have been less ambitious, and less revolutionary than the coming (delayed) LS is going to be. It's almost a no-win situation. Had a lesser redesign of the LS already been on the market, say since 2013, then some Lexus fans now would likely be saying it's not good enough compared to the S Class. Furthermore, a lesser redesign that had debuted in around 2013, such a model would be required to last on the market until at least 2019/2020, if not later. Between now and then, for sure criticism of a more evolutionary redesigned LS would have only increased.

Also if we hypothetically believe the theory that Akio Toyoda revamped the development of the next-gen LS because he thought the original redesign wasn't good enough, then it's quite possible some of the ideas for the original redesign made their way to the significant refresh in 2013. If we believe in this theory, then it's even possible a lesser redesign might not have been really all that much more than the actual refresh we got in 2013.

I'm in agreement that this is a very long time to wait for the new LS. On the other hand, I still have faith in Lexus, and I won't judge until the actual production LS is unveiled. It doesn't make sense to judge beforehand, as we don't know exactly what the new LS will bring.

I will also add that such a long model cycle for a flagship luxury sedan is not without precedent. The Benz W126 S-Class had a model cycle of over 12 years for example. The W140 and W221 S Class models both had model cycles of 8 years.

Even amongst LS history, this is arguably not unprecedented. The 1st gen XF10 LS had a model cycle of 5 years. The 2nd gen XF20 LS had a model cycle of 6 years. Now even though they were different generations, the XF10 and XF20 LS are in fact very similar. The exterior dimensions are very similar, and both exteriors and interiors have strong similarities. Also the specs of both generations were similar. So in reality, one can certainly say that the XF20 LS was nothing more than an updated or refreshed XF10. The 3rd gen XF30 LS was a big and revolutionary leap forward though. So arguably then, the XF10 and XF20 put together had a combined model cycle of 11 years. The XF10 and XF20, arguably, aren't much different than the current situation with the XF40 LS, and the refreshed model that debuted for 2013. That 2013 refresh reportedly involved around 1,000 engineers. Over 3,000 new parts were changed/added on the car. Sounds almost like a redesign more than a refresh I would say.

So in conclusion, IMHO, I do believe that the next LS has been delayed in order for it to be more revolutionary, and that much of what was originally planned for the next LS, instead made its way into the heavy refresh for 2013.

LEXUS WATCH OUT

Hyundai defends Genesis about-face

Image 1 of 13

PrevNext
Six-model family and growing luxury market behind Hyundai's stand-alone Genesis brand backflip
Hyundai says its decision to produce a six-strong luxury car range is the reason behind its backflip on repeated denials it would establish Genesis as stand-alone global premium brand to rival Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Jaguar.

The ambitious Korean giant last week announced it would do just that, promising six Genesis models by 2020 starting with the G80 (a rebadged version of the large Genesis sedan already sold here) and the G90, a replacement for the Equus limousine available in the US.

An all-new mid-size sedan to rival the BMW 3 Series (G70) is expected to follow in 2017, along with a mid-size crossover, a large SUV and a sports coupe to replace Korea's existing Genesis Coupe.

The G90 was officially previewed earlier this week and has also been spied testing (pictured) ahead of its Korean release in December, but the G80 will be the first Genesis model sold in Australia without Hyundai badges -- next year -- and is expected to be a facelifted version of the current Genesis spied recently in testing (pictured).

Hyundai is yet to confirm which Genesis models will be available globally, and unlike Volkswagen's Audi brand, Toyota-owned Lexus and Nissan's Infiniti, Genesis models will continue to be sold via Hyundai dealerships.

The significant announcement contradicts Hyundai insistence that Genesis would not become a separate premium brand, as it stated in 2012 and again in 2014.

When questioned by motoring.com.au on the change in direction, Hyundai Australia public relations general manager Bill Thomas said the 2008 GFC had merely delayed the company's Genesis sub-brand plans.

"There’s more potential in the global luxury car market, more experience with luxury cars, and more models on the way," he said.

“Our luxury car program began in 2004 when Hyundai started work on first [BH] Genesis, which won North American Car of the Year in 2009.

"When the global luxury car market shrank as a result of the global financial crisis, our plans for a separate brand were delayed.

"Expansion of the Genesis range from two models to six gives us the opportunity to create a true stand-alone brand in an ever-expanding luxury car market, where before it wasn't practicable with only two models.

"Six vehicles gives a broader customer base, and all of these customers demand and expect premium service -- we can provide that exclusive service more effectively with a true stand-alone brand, and match our competition better in the process."

Speaking of the current (DH) Genesis, which succeeded the BH and is the first available in Australia, Thomas said: “Customers love the car. Based on that experience, and years of detailed market research, we have decided to move forward and launch a luxury brand.

“We know some of our Genesis customers in Australia already think of it as a separate brand. It’s clear they have no issue with a separate Genesis identity and by making this decision, in a way we are supporting what’s already out there,” he continued.

The move also contradicts assertions made by Hyundai Motor America CEO David Zuchowski to motoring.com.au last year.

“We talked about it [a standalone brand] in the past; [but] we like what we’ve done now, and that is not really part of our discussions anymore,” Zuchowski said at the 2014 Detroit motor show.

“The investment [to create a new brand] from a company perspective is tremendous. The investment from a dealer perspective is tremendous. The splintering at a brand-building effort is really impactful.

“We actually believe that many of our competitors that have elected to go a different way and create a separate distribution channel for the premium products, might re-think that [if they] had that decision to make today,” he concluded.

Large Genesis models are likely to be based – like Australia's current model -- on a bespoke front-engine/rear-drive platform, but with different wheelbases and all-wheel drive (which is already available in the Genesis sedan in other markets) for the large SUV.

A smaller new chassis architecture could then form the basis of the mooted mid-size sedan, coupe and SUV – much like Jaguar's XE.

As with its luxury brand rivals, there will be significant technical differentiation from Hyundai-badged product to further separate Genesis as a premium brand.

All models will be designed by former Lamborghini and Bentley designer, Luc Donckerwolke, following his defection to Hyundai from the Volkswagen Group June this year.

At this point, however, there has been no confirmation of which Genesis models will be produced in right-hand drive, but the Equus flagship will initially only be aimed at LHD markets like China, Russia, the US and Korea – where it's known as the EQ900 -- and the smaller three models are more likely to be beneficiaries of a profitable RHD business case.

“We will certainly study the potential of every new Genesis for Australia,” Thomas concluded.

This article is completely off-topic from the current thread about the next-gen LS. Next time, please make a separate thread in the relevant sub-forum, or if applicable, make the post in a relevant existing thread.

 

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