Genesis Is The "Zen" Brand Infiniti Tried To Be But Failed To Become

Genesis has accomplished in just seven years what luxury rival Infiniti had hoped to do for decades. Infiniti ultimately failed, which is harsh to say about any automotive brand. Still, Infiniti consistently missed every opportunity.

Genesis, however, knows what it stands for. Founded as Hyundai Motor Group's standalone luxury division in November 2015, Genesis launched its first model, the G90, in 2017 and took the premium market by storm. Its "luxury disruptor" gambit paid off immensely.

Its lineup consists of eight highly-competitive models, three of which are pure battery-electric vehicles, including the 2023 Electrified GV70, which CarBuzz drove recently. They all ride on modern platforms and continue to win praise from media outlets (us included) and, most importantly, consumers.

And then there's Infiniti. It was founded 33 years ago as Nissan's luxury arm in response to Acura and Lexus, owned by Honda and Toyota. Infiniti's early years included the likes of the Q45 and M30 sedans.

The J30 sedan was one of this writer's favorites back in the day. And while reviews were generally good, sales consistently lagged behind its two Japanese luxury rivals. So Infiniti created a design language and marketing campaign focusing on nature, peace, and presence. This Zen approach was the right path because it could have given Infiniti a brand identity. Only it didn't. Why? Because Infiniti lacked an understanding of what Zen meant.

Zen is a meditative state that emphasizes self-restraint and insight. Cars obviously can't meditate or follow a religion, but the basic principles can be implemented via design and an intelligent approach to luxury.

That's what Genesis has done. The results speak for themselves. Just look at the GV60's spinning orb gear selector.