Hyundai look like they are preparing to bring its premium arm, Genesis, to the UK this year, after appointing a sales boss for the European region.
It hasn’t just picked any head of sales either. Enrique Lorenzana’s CV incudes successful stints at Maserati and Aston Martin, so he knows a thing or two about the premium sector. At Aston, Lorenzana served as head of European sales, and has previously worked at Audi and Kia.
It doesn’t come as a huge surprise to those following the Genesis story. In 2018, Genesis brand boss Manfred Fitzgerald made his intent to start selling in the UK very clear, saying: “We’ll be entering the European market in the next couple of years. That said, in that market, we’ll be focusing on the UK. We’re definitely building right- hand-drive cars for 2020.”
It suggests Hyundai has not been discouraged by the cool reception Toyota’s premium arm Lexus has received in Britain, and the downright stone cold reception it gave to Nissan’s equivalent, Infiniti.
However, it won’t be the first time a luxury car from Hyundai, which formed Genesis in 2015, has tried to sell here, but it is the first time as a standalone brand. The Hyundai Genesis sold just 50 units in the UK in two years, being scrapped in 2017.
Keyword: Genesis looks to be preparing for assault on UK market