Genesis says its customers have embraced its build-to-order program, and its wait times are now down to two or three months across the range.
“With excellent factory support and production allocation, coupled with our build-to-order approach, we ensure a swift 2-3 month wait for our bespoke vehicles,” said Genesis Australia CEO Justin Douglass.
Around 50 per cent of Genesis buyers build to order, the brand confirmed, which means they are specifying their own vehicles rather than choosing from existing stock.
With a much smaller retail network than rivals like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Lexus, the Korean luxury brand naturally doesn’t have vast dealership lots full of vehicles for buyers to pick from and drive away.
This likely helps steer buyers into custom-ordering a vehicle, and it’s here where Genesis can offer a leg up over some rivals with a wide range of exterior colours and interior trim options.
It has continued to offer these diverse palettes even as it has recently pared back some of its model ranges, such as the G70 and GV80, and made previously optional packages standard.
Take the slow-selling G70 sedan, for instance. It’s offered in a single variant now with the once optional Luxury Package as standard, but is still offered in 13 different exterior colours, plus three different interior finishes.
The GV80 crossover offers five different interior colourways, including two-tone options with green or blue as the focal colour, plus four different inlay options including real metal and wood trim.
Its coupe sibling has its own exclusive interior and exterior colours.
“Customers really like that they have the ability to build that bespoke vehicle, so they feel like they’re building something original,” said Mr Douglass.
“The added benefit to us is our proximity to Korea, the 2-3 month wait from build to order to delivery is obviously a real advantage for us versus some European-built brands where they have to wait a lot longer in order to get those vehicles.
“So that’s really resonated well.”
Genesis has yet to confirm whether its One of One bespoke service, which debuted in the Middle East last year, will be introduced to Australia.
Going beyond simply allowing buyers to choose from a wide range of exterior and interior finishes, One of One allows buyers to commission a vehicle à la Bentley or Rolls-Royce.
The service is aimed at creating a “hyper-personalised” experience in addition to tailoring a car to become a unique piece, with buyers able to choose their own colours, select custom quilting patterns for upholstery, and choose from a vast array of interior inlays including stone.