Genesis: A guide to everything you need to know

Although Genesis has only existed for 10 years, it has already made its mark in the luxury car world.

As a luxury car brand of Hyundai, Genesis entered the market as a direct competitor to other similar brands such as Lexus as well as German automakers BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi.

Even with that goal in mind, Genesis remains an exceptional player in Australia. Sales are much lower than rivals, but they remain comfortably where they are as they seek to maintain their model range and expand into new technologies – especially as they aim to switch to using only electric vehicles by 2030.

That doesn’t mean it can’t be interesting, however, as it recently unveiled its Magma performance sub-brand, previewing its more exciting versions. GV60 electric SUV And G80 car.

It also recently launched Nürburgring taxi serviceuse G70 car to give customers the opportunity to experience a hot lap around the “Green Hell”.

If you’ve heard the name Genesis but aren’t sure what it means, here’s everything you need to know.

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What is Genesis?

Genesis Motor is a luxury brand under the Hyundai Motor Group, established as an independent brand in 2015 and available in Australia in 2019. The company is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.

The Genesis name first came to light in 2003, when Hyundai launched the first Genesis as a luxury concept car.

It wasn’t until 2007 that the first Genesis was launched. According to a press release at the time, that car was the Hyundai Genesis, billed as an “evolved version of the modern rear-wheel drive sports sedan.” This was followed by the Genesis Coupe in 2008.

After internal debate, it was decided that the two cars would be launched as models under the Hyundai name, rather than under their own luxury brand.

Genesis launched as a standalone brand in 2015, with Hyundai USA spokesman Chris Hosford citing three main reasons behind the decision to the media at the time. The reason is:

• Genesis has spent seven successful years in the luxury car market
• Genesis ranked among the three best-selling segments
• The customer expressed interest in the separate Genesis division

The second generation Hyundai Genesis was renamed Genesis G80, while the brand’s first unique model was the G90 sedan, which was launched in December 2015 and continues to be Genesis’ flagship model.

The G90 is the successor to the Hyundai Equus, a large luxury sedan that first went into production in 1999.

Next are the smaller ones G70 carOne BMW 3 series rival launched in 2017. The brand launched its first SUV in 2020, in the form of GV80.

That same year, Genesis launched GV70while two new electric vehicles (EVs) launch in 2021. These are the Electrified G80 and GV60, the latter sharing Hyundai’s e-GMP platform used in Hyundai Ioniq 5 And Kia EV6.

Genesis has also unveiled a series of concept cars, the first of which was the Vision G in 2015. Although it was first introduced as a Hyundai model and before the independent brand’s launch, it has carried the Genesis badge and was eventually included in the G90.

A new concept each year followed, starting with the New York sedan in 2016 (which became the G70), followed by the GV80 SUV, Essentia grand tourer and Mint city car. There was no concept in 2020, although the following year Genesis was revealed X coupefollowed by Neolun SUV earlier this year.

Genesis also has several studios around the world, providing customers with the opportunity to view and experience vehicle models in a more intimate setting than a typical dealership. The first facility opened in Hanam, South Korea in 2016 and has since expanded to other facilities in Korea and international locations such as China.

In Australia, Genesis has just seven retail stores: two flagship studios in Sydney and Melbourne, plus five regular (but still company-run) dealerships.

Unlike other markets such as the US, Genesis does not sell cars in Australia through Hyundai dealers, although its vehicles can be serviced through these dealers.

Genesis models are currently sold in countries including Korea, China, Middle East, Canada, Australia, USA, Europe, Taiwan and Japan.

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What can you buy from Genesis now?

Genesis sells five models in Australia.

Genesis’ Australian lineup is as follows:

All prices exclude on-roads.

You’ll notice Genesis has adopted an alphanumeric naming convention – its sedans begin with the letter ‘G’, while its SUVs have ‘GV’. EV versions of cars powered by internal combustion engines will add ‘Electrification’ before the model name.

Higher performance versions of each model will wear lava name.

It offers three electric vehicle models, although only one – the GV60 – runs on a dedicated EV platform. The Electrified G80 and Electrified GV70 share their underpinnings with the combustion-powered G80 and GV70, respectively.

Although most Genesis vehicles are sedans or SUVs, the company only offers one wagon: the G70 Shooting Brake, developed for Europe.

It also has a single coupe SUV, the recently introduced GV80 Coupe.

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What brands is Genesis competing with?

Because it is positioned as a luxury brand (and the luxury division of a mass brand), Genesis competes primarily with the likes of Lexus, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

The GV70 is the Korean brand’s best-selling model in Australia and it competes with similar products. BMW X3, Audi Q5, Lexus NXAnd Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class.

The larger GV80 is in competition with the BMW X5 And Mercedes-Benz GLEwith the GV80 Coupe taking over X6 and GLE Coupe.

Genesis offers two alternatives to electric SUVs such as the BMW iX3 with GV60 and Electrified GV70.

In terms of sedans, Genesis’s rear-wheel-drive G70 competes with the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Genesis also offers the G70 with a Shooting Brake body style, comparable to the BMW 3 Series Touring and Audi A4 Avant models.

The G80 is larger than the G70, which means it competes with German products such as Audi A6 And Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

Electrified G80 is more expensive than its combustion version and goes in reverse BMW i5.

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How popular is Genesis in Australia?

Genesis is a niche brand and has sold far fewer volumes than its competitors as of 2024.

As of the end of August this year, Genesis had sold 951 cars, while Lexus sold 8,662, Audi 10,228, Mercedes-Benz 13,264 and BMW 17,304.

The company’s best-selling local model is the GV70, of which the company has sold 593 units this year. This is the only model to break the 500-unit barrier, with the GV80 being the only other model to surpass 100 units with sales of 235 units.

To date, the GV60 has recorded 55 sales, while the two sedan models – G70 and G80 – achieved 29 and 39 sales respectively as of the end of August this year.

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What’s next for Genesis?

The company previously confirmed new models launched from 2025 onwards will be electric, before switching to an electric-only product line from 2030.

However, the company recently confirmed it will Introducing a hybrid car modelafter previously saying it would forgo these in favor of an electric-only product line.

Some current models are expected to receive electricity in the coming years and other projects may soon be cut. Hyundai Motor Group is also developing a new generation EV platform, called eMwill be adaptable to a variety of applications and allow the automaker to cut costs by approximately 20%.

The Korean giant is said to be targeting a range of up to 800km with a battery as large as 113.2kWh, combined with a motor with power output between 200kW and 450kW.

Vehicles on this next-generation platform will also support over-the-air updates and a higher level of autonomous driving capabilities.

The GV90 is expected to be the first to arrive and will be Genesis’ largest SUV, and it is said to go into production in December next year.

While there are no details on any powertrains yet, the eM platform is touted as an evolution of the existing e-GMP architecture that underpins most of the company’s new electric vehicles. Hyundai, Genesis and Kia, including new electric models. Kia EV9.

The Genesis Neolun concept was unveiled ahead of the New York auto show in 2019 March this yearis expected to be a preview of the upcoming GV90.

After the launch of the flagship GV90 model, the second generation GV80 is expected to launch running on electric power only.

It is reported that the first GV80 electric prototype will begin testing in the first half of 2025. It is then expected to enter mass production in the second quarter of 2026 and use the new eM.

Genesis is also said to be developing an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) version of the GV70.

The GV70 EREV is expected to combine both a battery – possibly a large 40kWh battery pack – and an internal combustion engine, delivering a potential total driving range in excess of 900km.

The G80 is said to be the only Genesis sedan left after another year. While it currently offers an internal combustion engine and electric power, it will likely be another all-electric vehicle in the next generation.

Genesis also recently revealed attractive Magma concept versions of both the petrol G80 and the Electrified G80 EV, while the longer wheelbase version has also been detailed to offer more rear-end comfort. .

The loser in all of this is the G70, which may soon end as plans for a second generation have been scrapped.

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