Tameron Hyundai announces Hyundai puts a Luxury Upgrade in the Genesis in Korea.

May 18, 2011 - PRLog -- Hyundai Motor Co. sells one out of every two cars in South Korea, so it’s difficult for the slanted-H logo to mean anything other than ubiquity in its home country.

That’s why Hyundai has to do something special for its upscale cars. Its top-of-the-line Equus and luxury Genesis sedans operate as distinct brands in South Korea, with no Hyundai logos on the car.

But even so, the two sedans are also so common among South Korea’s elite that Hyundai has to stretch even more to produce something different for those who really want to stand out.

The result is the company’s first luxury co-branded product: a limited-run Genesis sedan with Prada.

The 1,200 Genesis Prada sedans will be sold in South Korea over the next few months. Another few hundred will be shipped to luxury buyers in the Middle East and China.

The starting price for the car is 79 million won (about $73,000), which is 20% more than a regular Genesis model with the same V8, 460-horsepower Tau 5.0 GDi engine.

For the money, the buyer gets a slightly different interior with a higher class of leather, Prada’s “saffiano” leather. The front grille and door handles are trimmed in a dark chrome that’s meant to evoke the palladium-coated buckles of a Prada handbag. There’s also a flash of red on the plastic engine coverings under the hood.

Hyundai isn’t the first Korean company to partner with Prada. LG Electronics Co. in 2007 produced a touch-screen cell-phone with the Italian fashion house.

Hyundai has been working on the car for more than two years. It showed a concept version at the Seoul Motor Show in April 2009.

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Tameron Hyundai is the premier Hyundai dealer in Birmingham, Alabama. We carry the full Hyundai line and offer the customer service in town. We have an award winning service and parts department as well. Come see us at 1595 Montgomery Hwy.