Why Hyundai Killed the Azera

Hyundai’s Azera luxury sedan is no more. I remember when it was unveiled several years ago in LA Auto Show and was one of the highlights of the show.

And it’s not likely to be greatly missed. If anyone even noticed it in the first place.

The Azera wasn’t a bad car – far from it. But it just never got much attention.

Azera still sold overseas

It’s important to note that the Azera is only dying in the American market – it will be available overseas. It will even be redesigned.

It’s tempting to blame the industry-wide sales slump for the demise of the Azera, or to blame the Azera’s own sales woes, but really, this is about Hyundai reshuffling its product lines.

With the company’s Genesis luxury line taking off, there was no longer any need for the entry-luxury Azera to be positioned in between the Sonata and the Genesis sedan.

More to the point, there weren’t enough consumers shopping in the area between the Sonata and the Genesis sedan – which of course has been replaced by the Genesis G80 and G90.

Possible replacement

If Hyundai wants to replace the Azera, it won’t be shocking if the company cooks up an entry-level car under the Genesis label – Hyundai will be looking to move those types of shoppers further upscale and into the Genesis fold. It simply makes more sense for any car that replaces the Azera to be a luxury model with Genesis badging.

The entry-luxury segment is a weird one – it includes a mix of drivetrain-types and model missions. You have standard large sedans with front- or all-wheel drive (Chevrolet Impala, Ford Taurus), sedans with a sport mission (Nissan Maxima), rear-drive/all-wheel-drive large sedans with muscle (Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300) and true entry-luxury models like the Buick LaCrosse and Toyota Avalon.

And now it’s missing one entrant – at least for now.