Genesis dealership count triples

Genesis opened 26 new standalone dealer facilities across the U.S., increasing the number of dedicated storefronts to 35.

The new retail stores span California, Utah, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Maryland, North Carolina and New York. The first exclusive storefront opened in Lafayette, La., in April 2022.

Claudia Marquez, Genesis' COO, said in a statement that the Genesis facilities demonstrate "our commitment to serving more communities across the United States in the coming years."

Marquez told Automotive News at the New York auto show in March that the design of the new facilities aligns more with the "standard and quality of the products."

Genesis has been working to peel the premium nameplate away from mainstream Hyundai, the brand from which it was created. Part of the strategy includes the physical separation of dealerships.

The dealer network has been slow to construct exclusive storefronts, but momentum is building. Genesis expects there will be more than 40 exclusive facilities open by the end of the year, significantly less than the 253 dealers in the Genesis network.

Genesis dealers who have opened stores are adamant about the need to elevate the experience for top-tier shoppers.

Peter Lanzavecchia, owner of Genesis of Cherry Hill in Marlton, N.J., the brand's ninth dedicated storefront and the first to open on the East Coast, said during renovations of his 20,000-square-foot facility that he hired a dedicated Genesis staff to handle sales and service so the customer would not feel as if they were in a Hyundai operation.

Dealers say they have seen trade-ins from high-end brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz, but to compete in earnest, having a showroom separate from Hyundai with top-notch treatment is critical to keep this echelon of consumers interested.

The modern open-floor design of the freshly constructed dealerships highlights Genesis' sleekly styled, tech-forward vehicles at the center. The all-glass architecture intentionally enables natural lighting to pour in from all angles onto the showroom floor.

The service center waiting area has a lounge feel and customers have a direct line of sight of the technicians at work on vehicles.

Genesis has been steadily adding electric vehicles to its lineup: the GV60 subcompact crossover, the Electrified GV70 compact crossover and the Electrified G80 sedan.

Through the first four months of the year, the brand achieved 20,285 U.S. sales, an increase of 3.4 percent compared with the same period in 2023. In April, sales of Genesis EV accounted for 12 percent of total sales.

Part of Genesis' expansion includes increasing the number of states it authorized to sell electric vehicles to 37. That includes the addition of Alabama, Kansas, Oregon and Rhode Island.