On May 22, Genesis Motors Canada, offered a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with its G70 Track Day Special Concept. Inspired by the Genesis Track Taxi Nordschleife, which is used to let passengers experience the full potential of the G70 on Germany’s infamous Nürburgring circuit, the concept is an exercise in what’s possible, not only from the production G70 sedan, but also from Genesis as a brand. With that in mind, Autosphere took the opportunity to sit down with Eric Marshall, Director, Genesis Motors Canada. We asked him about how the brand has evolved since it was established as a separate entity in 2016, and what have been some of the keys to its success in the Canadian marketplace.  

Autosphere: When we look at the G70 Track Day Special Concept here in the showroom at Genesis Markham, what do you feel this represents for the brand?

Eric Marshall: I feel it represents several different things. When we first launched Genesis as a separate brand in Canada, back in 2016, we started out small. Our initial product was the G80, but when we launched the G70 things really started to change. Here was a vehicle that we felt brought a lot more relevance to the Genesis brand. It introduced a new component of performance, and these factors helped grow awareness and sales volumes. The G70, from the outset, was inspired, designed and tested on the Nürburgring, which is one of the most grueling motorsports circuits in the world. 

When we launched the G70 in Canada in 2018, we brought together all our front-line staff that interact with guests at Genesis locations and took them to the circuit at Mont Tremblant in Quebec. We had them trained by professional drivers and got them to experience the capabilities of the vehicle on the track. It proved to be an exceptional and exhilarating experience—a milestone event for the brand.

AS: From what we understand, this experience had legs, can you tell us a bit more about that?

EM: A few years after that experience, in 2021, I was visiting Genesis London, and one of the experience managers at this location, had a photo from the 2018 event at Mont Tremblant. He explained that any time he talked to a guest, he referred to that event and what an incredible experience it was. That led to another initiative where we brought together our front-line teams to the Niagara Airport and [then later, last year], in Victoria B.C., to experience the G70 on the track. It was these experiences, along with our close relationships with Genesis in Korea that led to the creation of the G70 Track Day Special Concept.

AS: A key differentiator for this however, is that it’s not a concept vehicle in the traditional sense, but rather showcases what’s possible with a production car. Can you tell us a little more about that?

EM: The G70 has been a big part of our growth in Canada and with its sales success, our parent company in Korea wanted to reach out and see how they could provide us with support in the marketplace. So, we felt that creating a vehicle like this, one that was based on a production model, and one that would resonate with buyers and enthusiasts of sport-luxury sedans, would be a great way to showcase the brand as well as give each Genesis retail location across the country the opportunity to bring together people who are interested in the brand and provide insight into what we’re all about. 

AS: Can you tell us a little about how Genesis brand has evolved since its creation as a stand-alone brand?

EM: When we launched Genesis as a separate brand in 2016, we saw it as a real opportunity to do something different. Prior to that we’d offered the Genesis as a sports sedan or coupe as part of the Hyundai product range. Even though at the time, it was a Hyundai branded vehicle, the Genesis was engineered completely separately from other vehicles in the lineup and had its own production line in Korea. We felt that from a pricing and a branding standpoint, this wasn’t the most effective way to market the vehicle over the longer-term. So, the opportunity was presented to us, to re-launch Genesis as its own, separate brand. With this concept, we went to J.D. Power and asked them to lay out the entire vehicle ownership experience, from inception of interest, through the purchase process and until the time the vehicle is returned or traded in for a newer one. We wanted to know what the pain points were for the Canadian automotive consumer and what people didn’t like about the automotive retail experience. What we found was three major things…

AS: Tell us a little more about those?

EM: Firstly, we discovered that Canadians didn’t want to negotiate on the price of the vehicle, and we saw an opportunity there to do something different. If Genesis Canada owned the product, it would allow us to price it. We could price it online and what you see is what you get—very transparent, with no negotiation. Secondly [and this was a smaller cohort of those that were surveyed], there was this idea of not wanting to go into the dealership. So, we said, why not provide five years of valet service with the vehicle purchase, meaning we could collect the vehicle from the guest’s home or place of business and return it to them, once the service or work was completed. The third factor was trust—specifically building customer relationships around trust. Our view was, if we were going to provide a valet service for our guests, then why not provide five years of warranty and scheduled maintenance as well, all of which is included in the vehicle purchase price. So, we went to market and launched with that business model.

AS: Can you tell us about Genesis brand standards, and how they relate to this? 

EM: Having launched with this different business model, we wanted to see what we could do to make it better and how we could address smaller issues that customers still faced. This is what led to our Genesis Brand Standards. In a nutshell, these really are the rules that we live by as an organization and as a brand. If you’re a distributor or retailer and you want to sell Genesis vehicles, legally, you must adhere to these standards. It’s essentially about reinforcing everything we do with the goal of elevating the guest experience. 

AS: If possible, can you tell us a little more about how the Genesis retail model works and some of the factors that have contributed to its success in the Canadian market?

EM: With our model, Genesis Canada owns the vehicles. Our partners [the distributors] represent us in sales transactions and within those transactions, guest experience and feedback, is a top priority. So, as a guest, if you purchase a vehicle, we will provide you with a survey. Since 2016, our partners have been creating and building processes so that they can deliver to customers, the standards laid out as part of our overall mission. This is what has led to our relationship with Forbes Travel Guide.

Forbes Travel Guide is known for conducting its own independent surveys on hotels, gathering the data and rating the establishment based on the experience they receive. Those hotels that excel with high ratings end up partnering with Forbes Travel Guide, and in our case, we have been able to develop that relationship with them globally due to our standards. We’re the only automotive company that’s currently partnered with Forbes Travel Guide, and it’s been a real privilege to achieve that level of recognition and service during our nine years as a brand.