Buick Beware: The Korean LaCrosse Cometh
With its lineup now reaching into realms where even Cadillac dare not tread (namely the $65k Equus luxury flagship), Hyundai is filling in the gaps with ruthless focus. Next up: the near-luxury large sedan segment, where Buick’s LaCrosse has been mounting a one-car comeback for GM’s premium brand. But starting next year, the LaCrosse becomes a mild-hybrid model, lifting its base price to near $30k and giving the Azera an opportunity to become a recession-special spoiler. And with handsome Sonata-meets-Genesis Coupe-meets-LaCrosse looks, the next-gen Azera could just be the first luxurious Hyundai to actually bring real sales volume to the brand. The Azera should launch next year as a 2012 model, and as the gallery below shows, it’s already crawling the streets of Korea, bringing the fight to the Daewoo Alpheon [Thanks to Walter Foreman for the spy shots].
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Dan, I see you rpoint, but to some extent that is true now because you can buy a Malibu LTZ which has leather. What differentiates that from a Cadillac CTS? More than the leather - the style, plastic quality, headliner, etc etc. If people are utilitarian and think leather equals quality then the Equus will easily outsell the 7, A8 and S-class. Of course for some people (if not most) it takes more than that to make a car truly deserving in its class.
The Hyundai dealership where I bought the Genesis has changed ownership. When I visited for an oil change last week, the whole place had been spiffied up and the service was excellent. By virtue of owning a Genesis, I always get a free wash. I was surprised, though, when I wandered the showroom while waiting and no salesman accosted me. Had I come in through the front door, I'm sure that I would have been greeted.