Genesis Sedan Wins Over Drivers of Imported Luxury Cars

One out of five people who pre-ordered Hyundai's premium sedan, Genesis EQ900 already own an imported car, suggesting that the automaker's venture into the luxury market is winning back customers for a Korean product.

The makeup of 7,571 people who pre-ordered the EQ900 shows that 20 percent already own imported cars. And of those, 13 percent own Mercedes-Benz E Class sedans, 10.5 percent BMW 5 Series, and 9.5 percent the Audi A6.

All those are rivals that Hyundai is hoping to take on directly with the new Genesis brand. A Hyundai spokesman described the figures as "very encouraging."

Also notable is an increase in younger customers. Although 45 percent of the customers are in their 50s and 22 percent in their 60s, 23 percent are in their 40s.

Compared to the client base for the Hyundai Equus, the predecessor to the Genesis EQ900, the proportion of buyers in their 40s rose seven percentage points.

"We hope this trend continues until the EQ900's release in North America, the Middle East and China in the first half of next year," the spokesman said.