The Hyundai Genesis, the luxury sedan recently named the 2009 North American Car of the Year, has no badge on its front grille.   That may be more than a styling quirk. 

Ward's Automotive reports, "Hyundai Motor America President and CEO John Krafcik imagines a day when the Genesis luxury sedan and upcoming coupe grow from nameplates to a bonafide brand."  Speaking to a group of journalists in New York, Krafcik explained, "It would be like Lexus." 

Autoblog comments, "The Genesis lineup is in its fledgling state at this point, but it holds promise. The Hyundai Genesis sedan has its sights trained on luxury competitors like the Lexus GS, while the Genesis Coupe obviously places a premium on sport over luxury."  Meanwhile, "Hyundai's high-end, home-market Equus sedan, displayed for the American audience in New York over the last week, looks ready to compete with the LS460 in terms of size and amenities, while costing thousands of dollars less."  The Equus is not currently planned for the U.S. market, but "could arrive stateside within 2-3 years."

Hyundai does not plan to build separate dealerships for its luxury lineup.  "That would be the most expensive way to go," Krafcik told Ward's.  "Instead, Krafcik would like to see a lineup of Genesis models within existing Hyundai dealerships but sectioned off in their own area. He calls it a reverse on the Scion strategy, where Toyota co-locates its youth-oriented brand in Toyota dealerships, or similar to Mercedes-Benz selling its ultra-luxury Maybach models in its stores."

The company would ultimately like to build a network of luxury dealerships selling models under a different badge, he said, but "Sectioning off the brand, that's the Holy Grail."

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