- Genesis is seeking to compete with Mercedes and its hyper-custom Manufaktur program
- The Korean company’s take is called One of One, and will let buyers spec unique paint and upholstery combos
- In other news: the brand is not done with internal combustion—not by a long shot
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If there was ever any question the Genesis brand had its ultimate sights set on German luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz instead of Japanese ones such as Lexus, the Korean company’s fledgling One of One program should put an exclamation point on the fact. Seeking to emulate the exclusivity provided by programs like the Manufaktur offering at Mercedes-Benz, the Genesis One of One supplies a suite of options permitting customers to build a model to a spec which is uniquely their own.
These hyper-personalized vehicles tend to carry a weight of exclusivity and prestige, incorporating all manner of trim selection intended to reflect the owner’s tastes and lifestyle. After all, if you’ve deep enough pockets, why drive a car that just any old schmuck with the means can pick off the showroom floor?
How deep are those pockets? We were told by a Genesis dealer in Dubai the two-tone matte and metallic black Genesis G90 long-wheelbase with 90 km on the clock shown here, replete with an eye-popping blue and gold interior featuring custom touches like the owner’s family crest on the upholstery and wheel centres, totalled somewhere in the neighbourhood of 1.4 million AED, which is about half a million bucks in Canada. That’s nigh triple the cost of a loaded long-wheelbase example in that market.
Despite the exclusivity, these cars still bear the local equivalent of an NRCan fuel economy sticker, proving that even people in a country which holds six per cent of the world’s oil reserves do care about mileage.
The materials are sumptuous in that G90, with quilted upholstery and snazzy trim, some of which extends even to the trunk area, which looks almost luminescent in the correct lighting. Its matte and metallic paintwork is bifurcated by a carefully applied pinstripe that matches the interior.
The workshop for these customizations is in Korea, we were told, following a local in-person consultation in which the owner can peruse near endless samples of leather, interior trappings, and paint samples. Still, the car has to originally spring forth from an assembly line, as proven by the PH3 paint code hiding in this G90’s door jamb, referencing its original Vik Black Pearl paintwork.
Circling back to the first paragraph, some might query the difference between putting Mercedes in one’s crosshairs versus Lexus. It seems Genesis is eager to make an implied distinction between companies like Merc, which assuredly stands on its own; compared to Lexus, which could be uncharitably but not wholly inaccurately construed as “Toyota Plus,” since most of its models share at least some bones with the mass-market brand. Genesis would prefer shoppers think of it along the lines of Benz, of course.
Will the One of One program eventually translate to this side of the pond? While the brand is known for making lightning-fast moves in some areas of its business (Luc Donckerwolke, president and chief creative officer, shared an anecdote with us that it took just three days – including a weekend – for top brass to approve his argument for Genesis to go racing in LMDh) we think it’ll take a more measured approach in this example, gauging take rate and transaction prices in other markets before considering any One of One plunge in North America. For now, it’s exclusive to the Middle East, with designs on introducing it in the Korean home market next year.
ICE has a good future at Genesis
While the One of One program doesn’t fettle with the powertrain, we did learn that Genesis intends to offer some sort of ICE options underhood, so long as that means of propulsion is in demand by customers. At a panel discussion last week, suits explained the brand wishes to continue to sell vehicles powered by ICE-based hybrids and range-extenders whilst shoppers want it.
“Our customers will decide,” one Genesis exec bluntly said in a refreshing bit of candor. This is the opposite approach to that taken by some competitors, which are hard-headedly going all-in on EVs despite a myriad of headwinds, not the least of which is that some people just want a gas-burner under their right foot.
The two-tone matte and metallic black Genesis G90 long-wheelbase shown here, replete with an eye-popping blue and gold interior featuring custom touches like the owner’s family crest on the upholstery and wheel centres, totalled about half a million bucks Canadian
And there’s nothing wrong with that. People should have the option to buy what they so desire, whether that’s a pure EV or something with a fuel tank. By continuing to offer hybrids and range-extenders, it can be argued Genesis may scoop up some customers turned off by the EV hype in other showrooms.
Reinforcing this was a conversation the day prior with Genesis sales leadership in Dubai, who expressed a desire for continued availability of ICE powertrains, and how the automaker is pushing for next-gen models to continue offering some sort of internal-combustion, at least as an option. The man did concede he feels any sort of V8 engine is off the table.
Looking forward in terms of entertaining product, the same panel confirmed Genesis will eventually make a sports car. “When the time is right, there will be a product,” said top brass. This exhortation was tempered by the statement that a business case needs to exist for such a car to be built, though they also said the brand wants to be number one in design.
It seems, then, that a slinky two-door halo car in the visage of an X Speedium Coupe or X Convertible isn’t totally out of the question, or perhaps even something like the Genesis X Gran Berlinetta Vision Gran Turismo Concept, though that’s definitely more of a moonshot. Those models would certainly line up with the image Genesis is trying to cultivate — and be great candidates for the One of One program.
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