Buying a new car has traditionally been a complicated and frustrating process.
But Genesis, a new luxury car brand, is set to make the purchase and ownership experience as convenient as buying something from Amazon, and as luxurious as the service from a five-star hotel.
Starting Nov. 21, Canadians will be able to order a new Genesis model online from the comfort of their own home, without the stress of dealing with a car salesman.
The new reality: consumers can completely disregard the dealership, and haggling will be history, too. Making time for maintenance visits? That's so 2016.
鈥淭he current industry model has been around for about a hundred years,鈥� says Chad Heard, senior manager of public relations for Genesis Motors Canada.
鈥淏ut the way people are acquiring consumer goods now, you go on your phone and order something on the train to work, and it shows up on your doorstep at 5 p.m.鈥�
With Genesis, the company is offering drivers a similar level of convenience, Heard says. Genesis' luxury car experience will be based around the consumer鈥檚 schedule.
It's a bold new strategy, but many consumers might think this disruption is long overdue.
What we're used to
The shopping experience usually starts online with research, perhaps perusing the automaker鈥檚 website, and likely a few reviews. After all, buying a car is most people's second-largest purchase.
And then it's time to visit a dealership, where things can go sideways.
That base price you saw online? Well, none of those models are in stock. And if you want something like heated seats, you might need to get a whole extra options package with features you didn't really need at all 鈥� and a price that's far from what you saw advertised online.
Let's not forget about the actual purchase process itself. Haggling the sales rep for a better deal can become tiring 鈥� and awkward. And then, just when you think you're about to close the deal, the person on the other side of the desk disappears to 鈥渃heck with the manager.鈥�
New online-first experience
One of the things that makes Genesis different is that it's launching in Canada with just a website - no dealerships.
Shoppers connect with the car company directly through the site, where they can also find a phone number to speak to a rep.
Customers then use the Genesis at Home concierge service to schedule a test drive. A Genesis representative will meet the customer at home 鈥� or at work 鈥� with the vehicle to try it out.
The process is so easy that if a customer wants to buy the car after the test drive, they can make a deposit toward a purchase 鈥渁t their living room table,鈥� Heard says.
The amount of human contact is up to the customer, he says. Indeed, a shopper could even buy a Genesis entirely online without speaking with a rep.
鈥淥ne person could do the entire thing online and never talk to a soul, the other (customer) could talk with a Genesis representative from start to finish,鈥� Heard says.
It won't always be all online, however. The company will eventually have bricks-and-mortar locations, with plans for boutique stores in certain shopping centres this spring.
鈥淕enesis caters to the customer. So if they want to go into a mall, we鈥檒l have that option available to them,鈥� says Heard.
All-in on luxury
Two models will be available from the luxury brand at launch: the range-topping G90 and the slightly smaller G80. There'll eventually be a full lineup, including SUVs, in the coming years.
The G90 is a flagship sedan designed to compete with the BMW 7 Series and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Reviews for the G90 have been positive, which reflects how much effort Genesis says it has been putting into making its vehicles superior.
The G90 comes fully loaded, leaving customers to choose their preferred engine 鈥� either a twin-turbocharged V6 or a naturally-aspirated V8. All of the luxury features you could imagine come standard, from a 22-way adjustable driver's seat to adaptive cruise control and Lane Keep Assist.
Customers can still have their choice of paint and interior colour options at no cost.
鈥淲e expect customers in this (luxury) space don't want the base model,鈥� Heard says. 鈥淭hey want everything. They've worked very hard to buy the vehicle that they want, so we're working hard to have simplified pricing and simplified setup.鈥�
All-in pricing
The G90 starts at $84,000, while the G80 starts at $54,000. That's it. Other than sales tax, there are no other extra charges.
Because there's no dealership, there's no middleman to get in the way of the buying process. There's no checking with the manager for a special discount, which means there's no negotiating on the cost.
This way, Heard says, customers aren't wasting time haggling. 鈥淭he price is the price.鈥�
Pricing for the two new models includes pretty much everything. Add-on costs commonly tacked on by dealerships, such as freight, PDI (pre-delivery inspection) and administration fees don't exist.
The price also includes other extras, such as scheduled maintenance and a satellite radio subscription for the first five years or 100,000 km of ownership.
Convenient maintenance
Speaking of maintenance, Genesis drivers can leave that to the concierge service.
Rather than scheduling time to go to a garage, picking up a courtesy car and then getting on with their plans, Genesis sends someone to the customer. A Genesis rep would meet the owner at home, drop off a similar car, and then take the customer's vehicle to the shop.
Once the maintenance is complete, the drop off would be just as convenient for the customer, Heard says.
So, how will customers react to such a unique and customized experience with a car company?
鈥淲e've had a couple of trial runs, deliveries with customers, and they've been ecstatic,鈥� Heard says.
