Genesis reverses electric vehicle trend, prepares to launch a series of hybrid vehicles to meet customer needs
- Genesis’ all-EV product plan will add some HEVs and PHEVs
- Emission standards and customer demand are driving delays in the entire electric vehicle lineup.
- A 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid seems possible
Hyundai’s Genesis luxury brand is moving forward with plans to enhance what is believed to be All EV lineup with hybrid vehicles, citing customer demand, reports Top of the line equipment.
Five years ago, the automaker sensed a surge in demand for electric vehicles. “But the market and customers now want hybrids more than electrics, so we really want to bring the Genesis hybrid to market as soon as possible,” Genesis boss Mike Song said in an interview at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed this week.
In its 2021 “electrification plan,” Genesis has made it clear that all new vehicles from the brand from 2025 onwards will be electric battery or hydrogen fuel cell—on track to transition to all-electric or fuel-cell vehicles by 2030. But in addition to changing customer demands, the current state of European emissions standards means Genesis feels less pressure to do so quickly.
2025 Genesis GV70 electrified
Tyrone Johnson, Genesis’s head of vehicle development, told Top Gear that now, several years after the original electric car plans were outlined, it’s clear the brand can meet regulatory standards and give drivers some choice in how quickly they can transition to electric.
Genesis first hinted that it would backtracking on its EV plans earlier this year, when unnamed company sources told the Korean Economic Daily that the automaker would begin rolling out hybrid vehicles in at least some markets next year. The report said Genesis was developing a Hybrid powertrain based on 2.5-liter enginecan be used in G80 sedan and GV70 SUV.
Genesis GV60 2024
Genesis currently offers all-electric versions of the G80 and GV70 in the US – the latter built in Alabama – as well as the GV60, which is based on the dedicated E-GMP EV platform also used by Hyundai and Kia. The big Genesis GV90 electric SUV is also said to be on its way there.
Ford and General Motors have also discussed more hybrid cars along with electric carseven with GM accept plug-in hybrid vehicles that it once shunned. Mercedes-Benz, one of Genesis’s most direct rivals, has delay your EV targetAccordingly, this luxury car brand will switch to using all-electric vehicles in some markets by 2030. Currently, the company plans to maintain internal combustion engines in its product portfolio until the next decade.
