Hyundai May Pull Grandeur Model from the US
This is probably a good decision because I can’t remember the last time I remember seeing a Grandeur on the road in the US:
Hyundai Motor Co. is considering suspending the sales of the Grandeur sedan, exported under the name Azera, in the United States, industry sources said Sunday, due to its sluggish sales there.
While Hyundai announced the launch of the sixth-generation Grandeur earlier in November, sources said the company would not introduce the model in the U.S. If South Korea’s top automaker makes that decision, it would mark the first time in 16 years for the Azera to leave the U.S. market.
Industry watchers said although the Grandeur stands as a major high-end sedan in the South Korean market, it failed to grab enough attention in the North American market, losing out to the popular Sonata and the premium Genesis models. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link.
Even my wife makes fun of Hyundai as a “Luxury” car manufacturer.
Cheap, dependable, low maintenance… She’ll agree to those words, but not Luxury.
We had a Volvo S60, and that was a Luxury Sedan.
Asian cars still have a climb to beat Euro Sedans in the High End market.
I think Hyundai will have to not use their Hyundai name (i.e.: Lexus) to break into the luxury car market like other manufactures have done. People see the Hyundai name and do not think of luxury.