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Genesis Zeiss, the luxury brand that will officially go on sale in China as soon as next year, a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor of South Korea, recently announced the appointment of Markus Henne as the CEO of the Genisse brand in China, responsible for the brand's business operations in China and fully prepared for the brand's entry into the Chinese market.

He Ruisi has held positions at Mercedes-Benz and its high-performance brand Mercedes-AMG, and was the head of the Mercedes-AMG brand Greater China, building a new sales network and business model for the brand.

According to sources, the G80/G90/GV80 and other models of Genisys have been tested in China, and some of the products are expected to be available for sale next year. The entry of the Genisis brand into China means that the brand is ready to compete with Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Lexus, Jaguar Land Rover and Lincoln for China's growing luxury car market.

On November 5, 2019, China International Import Expo exhibited the GV80 concept SUV, the all-electric Mint concept car and the flagship car G90, which is also the debut of Genisis in the Chinese market.

Genesis, which is familiar to Chinese consumers as "Gaines", also sold some of its products in China before the brand became independent, but sales were so dismal that it eventually withdrew from the Chinese market silently. Hyundai, which decided to operate independently as a high-end brand in 2015, has entered overseas markets such as the US, Canada, Russia and the Middle East, with a lineup of G70, G80 and G90 sedans, as well as the upcoming GV80 SUV. Genisse dominates the US luxury car market, selling 20594 vehicles in the United States in 2017, falling to 10312 in 2018 and recovering in 2019, with a cumulative sales of 13350 vehicles from January to August.

Hyundai said it wants to build Genisse into an independent brand with a complete product lineup, improve Hyundai brand value and improve corporate profitability, and proposes to complete six product lineups by 2021, covering different segments such as SUV and sports coupe.

It is understood that Hyundai Motor has established "Genisse Automobile sales (Shanghai) Co., Ltd." in Shanghai in 2018, taking the first step to make Genisseth enter China's luxury car market. At the same time, Hyundai also plans to set up a sales legal person in other big cities outside Shanghai to build a dealer network covering all of China, in order to increase the market segment covered in China as soon as possible after listing.

The head of the Genisse team revealed earlier that Hyundai also plans to gradually withdraw existing Hyundai and Kia-branded imported cars in China to make way for Genisse cars. At the same time, the initial stage of entering the Chinese market will be to export Korean-made cars, but will gradually consider importing parts into China, followed by a semi-domestic mode of assembly and production at the joint venture Hyundai factory in Beijing.

Manfred Fitzgerald, senior vice president of Genisse, said in an interview that when Genisse enters the Chinese market, brand reputation and good products are indispensable, so it is more important for consumers to understand the company's purpose and goals, and it is more important for consumers to buy a good car.

Although China's new car sales are in a decline, the growing demand for luxury cars is also a prerequisite for Genisse to enter the Chinese market. According to the data, the cumulative comprehensive sales of Chinese luxury brands reached 2.003 million vehicles in the first 11 months of 2019, a year-on-year growth rate of 11.5%, achieving double-digit growth. Sales of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Lexus and Volvo all increased in varying degrees, of which BMW sales increased by 13.6% and Lexus by 21%.

The pattern of domestic luxury brands is relatively fixed, with the first-line formation represented by Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi accounting for 70% of luxury car sales, and the second-line formation represented by Cadillac, Lexus and Volvo. And Lincoln, Infiniti, Acura and other small sales of the third-line formation. As a luxury brand with a short history, Genisis Motors joined the competition, and it is difficult to occupy a place.

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