Genesis Australia launch delayed again

In the tradition of a Grand Designs episode, construction delays are being blamed for another postponement of the launch of Hyundai’s premium brand Genesis in Australia.

The Genesis G70 and G80 were originally set for sales in the final quarter of 2019 but long delays on creation of the new marque’s flagship store in the Pitt Street Mall in Sydney have forced another delay.

The cars are ready, and some have been running on the road for several months, but progress has been slow on building work at the Sydney site.

Plans for two more non-traditional showrooms, in central-city malls in Melbourne and Brisbane, have also been put on hold.

As the local start-up now runs more than six months late, Genesis boss Peter Evans says it has nothing to do with the car company side of the operation.

“Anyone who has done any building expects delays. If you’ve seen an episode of the Grand Designs television show you’ll know what we’re up against,” Evans tells carsales.

“Tall poppies keep popping up, and we keep chopping their heads off, and then something else happens.”

One of the reasons for the delays is the high-quality finishes which are planned for the showroom, at the former site of Oroton and Billabong stores.

The project is costing an estimated $7 million and the seven-car layout includes everything from special panelling with a distressed rust look to LED panel lighting and a one-off staircase in the two-level showroom.

Evans admits considerable frustration with the building work but says the process has to run its course.

“We got a little ahead of ourselves with our enthusiasm,” he says.

“There are a couple of key, long-lead items which are running late. We’re learning a lot for the future, but it’s still very painful.”

Evans also admits that the Melbourne and Brisbane outlets are on hold until Sydney is done.

“It’s still Sydney. It’s the only game in town for the moment. In Melbourne it will take three months just for a development application. Until we’re a little further down the path, shooting for a date is fiction.”

Once the building work is complete, Evans is intending a fast start to sales and planning for the Genesis launch is focussed on the second half of May.

“The cars are parked and ready to go. We’re already doing low-level activity with some government and corporate fleets.

“As soon as we’re in position to do so, we’ll look at selling and delivering cars,” the ex-Lexus exec stated.