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Genesis cars win accolades, offer value — so why are sales so bad?

My high-school buddy Brent Cormier was so smitten with the Genesis G80 when he saw it at an event I hosted at SXSW in 2016 he bought a used 2013 Hyundai Genesis a short time later and fell in love with the car. "It surpasses my every expectation," said Cormier, a self-described "renaissance man" who owns and runs a real estate agency with his wife Laura, is a food service executive chef and part owner of Austin-based Thin the Herd Guitars. "I was locked into Mercedes and Audi for 10 years," he added. "And felt trapped in an endless pit of maintenance costs." After owning the Genesis over the past two years — including using it as an Uber and Lyft driver to earn extra cash — Cormier learned what some frugal luxury sedan buyers and a handful of car reviewers have discovered: Genesis offers great bang for the buck compared to other premium brands and can compete with the best in terms of performance, features and comfort. Hyundai's luxury brand also earned a prominent third-party endorsement last week when for the first time Genesis topped J.D. Power's 2018 APEAL study, surpassing German luxury-performance icon Porsche. The APEAL study (which stands for Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout) "measures owners' emotional attachment and level of excitement across 77 attributes," ranging from performance to comfort, and asks nearly 68,000 owners of new 2018 models to score vehicles on a 1,000-point scale. In its second year ranked as a stand-alone brand, Genesis earned an APEAL score that bumped it up 15 points to 884 and helped push it past Porsche — and past BMW, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volvo, Cadillac, Land Rover and Lexus, in order of ranking. Last month, Genesis also topped J.D. Power's Initial Quality Survey (IQS) for the first time this year. And both its models were awarded Top Safety Pick Plus ratings by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, among 11 Plus ratings in all for Korean vehicles. Despite high J.D. Power rankings and great reviews, Genesis U.S. sales were off 50 percent for the first six months of 2018 compared to 2017, and in June Genesis sold only 796 vehicles — the first time U.S. numbers dropped below 1,000 in a month. Part of Genesis's APEAL and IQS success can be attributed to its small product lineup: just two models, the G80 and G90 sedans, with a third, the 2019 G70, launching later this year. And while those numbers may help in J.D.

2016 Lexus GS gets 2.0L turbo engine, updated styling

The Lexus GS gets a number of enhancements for the 2016 model year, and the updated sedan makes its official debut in California during Monterey Car Week. The usual mid-cycle refresh styling nip/tuck is evident, but the bigger story is the addition of a new, rear-wheel-drive GS 200t model. Lexus' IS sedan isn't the only one getting turbo-four power for 2016. The GS 200t uses that same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, good for 241 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. It's paired exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive, and Lexus says the GS 200t should be able to achieve 33 miles per gallon on the highway. Not to be left out, the naturally aspirated GS 350 gets a small power bump for 2016. The 3.5-liter V6 now produces 311 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, up from 306 and 277, respectively. The GS 450h hybrid carries over with its powertrain unchanged, as well as its 29/34 mpg city/highway rating. Other changes for 2016 include standard bi-LED headlamps as part of the reworked front fascia, and a host of technology upgrades. The 12.3-inch central display screen now has full-width map capability, and the controller gets some extra "enter" buttons. Lexus also gave its Enform system some updates, with a Service Connect system. The ever-important Apple CarPlay and Android Auto features are missing from this update, though it's not exactly surprising. Have a look at the updated GS 200t in the gallery above, and scroll down for the full press blast. Related Video: Mingling with the Classics: Lexus Introduces 2016 GS During Pebble Beach Concours Celebrations New GS 200t RWD Model With 2.0-Liter Turbo Engine - More Power and Torque for GS 350 - Restyled Front End With Standard Bi-LED Headlamps - New Available Lexus Safety System + - Upgraded Multimedia Technology and for GS 350/GS 450h Standard Navigation - New Available Lexus Enform Service Connect - New Interior Colors and Wood Trim Selections MONTEREY, Calif. – Aug. 13, 2015 – The Pebble Beach Concours d' Elegance, the premier concours event in the United States, is an appropriate setting for the 2016 Lexus GS models to be introduced. The GS enters 2016 with a bolder design, a new GS 200t rear-wheel drive model and new luxury finishes that match the refinement of Monterey. The Lexus GS continues to feature impressive agility and sporty handling for turns along California Highway 1, as well as comfortable ride quality for extended highway driving.

Houston road rage incident devolves into all-out brawl

The video is no longer available. It appears the associated account has been terminated. Chaos erupted on a Houston freeway last weekend when an altercation spiraled out of control and ended up in a battle-royale style brawl in the middle of traffic. According to KTRK, David Dao and his daughter were traveling along FM 1960 on the morning of May 14 when they came upon a white Honda and a blue Ram truck parked in the right lane. The drivers and passengers of the vehicles were engaged in a spirited argument about something that had happened moments before Dao pulled up. Dao parked in his lane to block traffic in an attempt at making sure other drivers didn't hit the people fighting in the right lane, and instructed his daughter to start filming the incident in case they were needed as witnesses. As Dao's daughter filmed, the incident quickly escalated–harsh words were exchanged, a drink was thrown in a woman's face, and then the driver of the Ram kicked in the Honda's grille. "I couldn't believe it. As soon as he kicked the grille, I was like, 'This is going down now," said Dao. "I was thinking this is going to be bad. At that time, I knew because there was physical damage." As soon as the Ram driver kicked the Honda the entire situation went sideways and devolved into a huge brawl, with the people from both vehicles throwing wild punches and grappling with one another. A woman who was a passenger in the Ram attempted to break up the scrum but took a haymaker in the face for her troubles. Eventually, the fight broke up and the people returned to their vehicles which Dao assumed meant that the altercation was over. Apparently though, the Ram driver felt he hadn't made his point, and he reversed at high speed into the Honda, smashing the fascia and buckling the hood. The Ram then sped off westbound on U.S. 290 with the Honda on its tail. According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, the incident was not reported and there is no word what happened to the brawlers after they left the scene. Related Video: News Source: KTRK Weird Car News Dodge Lexus RAM Driving Safety Truck Videos Sedan road rage houston fight