Hyundai Prepares Dealers for Rear Wheel Drive

Washington DC May 7, 2007; The AIADA newsletter reported that Hyundai wants to make sure that its dealers are prepared to move a rear-drive, V-8-powered, premium sports sedan .

According to Automotive News, the first of several RWD cars it plans to sell in the United States - the Genesis - heads to dealers in the second half of 2008. "We know how to launch vehicles, but there will be some unique dealership stuff coming for that car," said Miles Johnson, a Hyundai Motor America spokesman.

"This will be different from selling Elantras and Accents, and that is what we are sorting out." Johnson said Hyundai is developing the launch strategy. One requirement, he said, will be intensive training for at least one salesperson per dealership. "The customer experience needs to be a notch" above that for other Hyundai products, he said, without elaborating.

Genesis is the leading name for the new model. It is being touted as a premium sedan for driving enthusiasts but without the premium price. Hyundai says the car was benchmarked for torsional stiffness against a BMW 5 series.