Genesis is a car manufacturer you’d probably never heard of two years ago, but in a short space of time the luxury arm of the Hyundai Motor Group has launched five models in the UK and is at the start of a bold transition to an electric-only future.
It competes in a space dominated by heavyweights such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes, but aims to disrupt the traditional ways of doing business with a digital sales model and a higher level of customer service.
There are no Genesis dealers; instead, the brand handles its vehicle logistics in-house and to ensure customers get a VIP-style experience, each one is assigned a Genesis Personal Assistant (GPA). The GPA remains the customer’s first point of contact all the way from their initial enquiry, through to ordering and then aftersales. It’s like having a concierge for your car.
And don’t think that fleet customers miss out, either. Genesis is very clear that all its customers will get exactly the same treatment, so company car drivers can enjoy the same benefits as retail buyers.
The Genesis Difference extends beyond the immediate customer service, however. Also included with every car is a five-year care package that includes delivery, servicing, breakdown and recovery, connected services and warranty.
Making it all work in harmony with the leasing industry has been tasked to Jonny Miller (left). The former Volvo national contract hire and leasing manager joined Genesis after a stint at Polestar.
Miller says: “The Genesis Difference is unique. The five-year free, complimentary scheduled servicing is something that you have to explain in person to the contract hire and leasing industry, as well as the end user, to make them understand that this isn’t an add-on. This isn’t something we would like to sell you. This is something that’s included in the current price.”
Genesis is a car manufacturer you’d probably never heard of two years ago, but in a short space of time the luxury arm of the Hyundai Motor Group has launched five models in the UK and is at the start of a bold transition to an electric-only future.
It competes in a space dominated by heavyweights such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes, but aims to disrupt the traditional ways of doing business with a digital sales model and a higher level of customer service.
There are no Genesis dealers; instead, the brand handles its vehicle logistics in-house and to ensure customers get a VIP-style experience, each one is assigned a Genesis Personal Assistant (GPA). The GPA remains the customer’s first point of contact all the way from their initial enquiry, through to ordering and then aftersales. It’s like having a concierge for your car.
And don’t think that fleet customers miss out, either. Genesis is very clear that all its customers will get exactly the same treatment, so company car drivers can enjoy the same benefits as retail buyers.
The Genesis Difference extends beyond the immediate customer service, however. Also included with every car is a five-year care package that includes delivery, servicing, breakdown and recovery, connected services and warranty.
Making it all work in harmony with the leasing industry has been tasked to Jonny Miller (left). The former Volvo national contract hire and leasing manager joined Genesis after a stint at Polestar.
Miller says: “The Genesis Difference is unique. The five-year free, complimentary scheduled servicing is something that you have to explain in person to the contract hire and leasing industry, as well as the end user, to make them understand that this isn’t an add-on. This isn’t something we would like to sell you. This is something that’s included in the current price.”
Getting the industry on board has taken some time, Miller admits, but he says nine of the top-10 FN50 leasing companies have either signed or are close to signing contracts with the brand.
All vehicle movements are handled by a third party, which uses covered trailers to ensure cars arrive clean and without unnecessary miles on them.
Aftersales is also outsourced. Genesis has appointed a repair agent with national coverage to handle servicing and repairs. Drivers won’t be expected to take their car in for work, however. Once booked via the Genesis app, or through a GPA, vehicles will be collected from the customer and taken for service or repair work; the customer will never see a physical workshop. A like-for-like – or better – courtesy car is also guaranteed.
Andrew Pilkington (right), managing director of Genesis, adds: “The feedback from the contract hire and leasing companies is that we are raising the bar with the five-year comprehensive package of the Genesis Difference, and they believe it’s going to enhance their relationship and create a differentiation for them with the end user corporates. I’ve never known why – apart from the margin pressure – a dealer differentiates between a retail customer and a corporate driver, whether it’s purchasing or in-life, but they do. We want to portray our values irrespective of who is the asset owner. We will treat the company car driver as we would a retail customer, and they will have a much higher level of service than they would get from a dealer.”
GPA – one point of contact
The GPA is at the heart of how Genesis differentiates itself from other brands. They have been recruited from across the automotive and hospitality sector and provide the human contact that you’d usually get from a dealer. GPAs are assigned to customers as soon as they interact with the brand, usually at the point of arranging a test drive. From then on, the GPA is the first port of call to assist with ordering, delivery, and ongoing support throughout the ownership period. GPAs carry out each handover, in person, giving the driver as much one-to-one time as they need to get to grips with their vehicle.
Miller stresses that GPAs are not salespeople. Their role is simply to answer questions and help where they can.
Genesis has also established a fleet of demonstrator vehicles that are spread nationally to support test drives, in lieu of having dealerships. In most cases the vehicle is dispatched to the customer’s home or work and a team of drivers are used to deliver and collect the vehicles. Like GPAs, the drivers are not under pressure to sell the car.
Electrifying the line-up
The Genesis model range debuted with the G80 saloon, a BMW 5 Series rival, and GV80 SUV, which competes with the Audi Q7. These were followed by the 3 Series-sized G70 and Q5-rivalling GV70.
Fleet interest in Genesis piqued when it announced the electric GV60 (pictured), a stand-alone model that’s based on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 platform. The GV60 is the most luxurious of the trio, has a range of up to 321 miles and is priced from £46,950. Miller says around a third of initial GV60 orders are from company car drivers and fleet interest is growing rapidly. Two more electric Genesis models will hit UK roads this year. The first is an electric version of the G80 saloon, which provides a range of more than 300 miles and puts the brand ahead of Audi and BMW in this segment.
An electric GV70 is also on the way. Costing £64,405, it can cover 283 miles between charges and slots in to compete with Audi’s e-Tron, the BMW iX3 and the Mercedes EQC.
To support customers with the transition to electric vehicles, the brand has launched Genesis Charging, in partnership with Shell Recharge. Each electric Genesis comes with a five-year package, which includes access to public chargers with a centralised billing system. The service includes discounted rapid charging at Ionity sites. A Genesis wallbox is also available for customers to buy additionally.
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