Genesis hasn’t even existed for 10 years, but it’s made a mark on the luxury car world.
As a luxury Hyundai spinoff, Genesis entered the market as a direct competitor to other similar brands like Lexus as well as German juggernauts BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi.
Even with that target, Genesis remains a niche player in Australia especially. Sales are much lower than that of its rivals, but it’s comfortable in its position as it looks to maintain its model range and expand into new technologies – particularly as it eyes a shift to become electric-only by 2030.
That doesn’t mean it can’t have fun though, as it recently revealed its Magma performance sub-brand, previewing hotted-up versions of its GV60 electric SUV and G80 sedan.
It also recently launched its Nürburgring taxi service, utilising the G70 sedan to give customers the chance to experience a hot lap around the “Green Hell”.
If you’ve come across the Genesis name but weren’t sure what it was all about, here’s everything you need to know.
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What is Genesis?
Genesis Motor is a luxury brand within the Hyundai Motor Group, established as a standalone brand in 2015 and arriving in Australia in 2019. It’s headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.
The Genesis name was first brought into the light as early as 2003, when Hyundai rolled out its first Genesis vehicle in the form of a luxury concept car.
It wasn’t until 2007 that the first Genesis would launch. That car was the Hyundai Genesis, labelled as a “progressive interpretation of the modern rear-wheel drive sports sedan” according to a press release at the time. It was followed by a Genesis Coupe in 2008.
After internal debate, it was decided those 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 United States spokesman Chris Hosford citing three main reasons behind the decision to media at the time. The reasons were:
- Genesis had already experienced seven successful years in the luxury car market
- Genesis ranked among the top three segment sellers
- Customers showed an interest in a separate Genesis division
The second-generation Hyundai Genesis was rechristened as the Genesis G80, while the brand’s first unique model was the G90 sedan, which was launched in December 2015 and continues to be a flagship vehicle for Genesis.
The G90 was the successor to the Hyundai Equus, a large luxury sedan that first entered production in 1999.
These were followed by the smaller G70 sedan, a BMW 3 Series rival launched in 2017. The brand launched its first SUV in 2020, which came in the form of the GV80.
In the same year, Genesis launched the GV70, while two new electric vehicles (EVs) followed in 2021. Those were the Electrified G80 and the GV60, the latter of which shares Hyundai’s e-GMP platform used in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.
Genesis has also unveiled a spate of concept vehicles, the first of which was the Vision G of 2015. While it was first shown as a Hyundai model and predated the launch of the standalone brand, it wore Genesis badging and was eventually whittled into the G90.
What followed was one new concept each year, starting with the New York sedan in 2016 (which became the G70), then the GV80 SUV, Essentia grand tourer, and Mint city car. There were no concepts in 2020, though in the next year Genesis revealed the X coupe, followed by the Neolun SUV earlier this year.
Genesis also has a number of studios worldwide, intended to provide customers the chance to view and experience models in a more intimate setting than a typical dealership. The first opened in Hanam, South Korea in 2016, and has since been followed by others in South Korea and international locations like China.
In Australia, Genesis has just seven retail outlets: two flagship studios in Sydney and Melbourne respectively, plus five more conventional (but still company-run) dealerships.
Unlike other markets like the US, Genesis doesn’t sell vehicles in Australia through Hyundai dealerships, though its vehicles can be serviced through these.
Genesis models are currently sold in countries including South Korea, China, the Middle East, Canada, Australia, the US, Europe, Taiwan, and Japan.
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What can you currently buy from Genesis?
Genesis sells five models in Australia.
Genesis’ Australian lineup is as follows:
All prices are excluding on-roads.
You’ll notice Genesis has adopted an alphanumeric naming convention – its sedans are prefaced with ‘G’, while its SUVs wear ‘GV’. EV versions of its combustion-powered cars add ‘Electrified’ before the model designation.
Hotter performance versions of each model will wear the Magma name.
It offers three electric models, though only one – the GV60 – is on a dedicated EV platform. The Electrified G80 and Electrified GV70 share their platforms with the combustion-powered G80 and GV70, respectively.
While most of Genesis’ vehicles are sedans or SUVs, it offers a single wagon: the G70 Shooting Brake, which was developed with Europe in mind.
It also has a single coupe SUV, the recently introduced GV80 Coupe.
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Which brands are Genesis competing against?
As it’s positioned as a luxury brand (and the luxury division of a mainstream brand), Genesis primarily competes 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 the likes of the BMW X3, Audi Q5, Lexus NX, and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class.
The larger GV80 is a competitor to the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE, with the GV80 Coupe taking on the X6 and GLE Coupe.
Genesis offers two alternatives to electric SUVs like the BMW iX3 with its GV60 and Electrified GV70.
In terms of sedans, Genesis’ rear-wheel drive G70 takes on the likes of the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Genesis also offers the G70 in a Shooting Brake body style, which is comparable to the BMW 3 Series Touring and Audi A4 Avant wagons.
The G80 is larger than the G70, which means it goes up against German offerings like Audi A6 and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
The Electrified G80 is more expensive than its combustion counterpart and goes up against the BMW i5.
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How popular is Genesis in Australia?
Genesis is a niche brand and has sold in much fewer numbers to its competitors so far in 2024.
Genesis has so far sold 951 cars to the end of August this year, while Lexus has shifted 8662, Audi 10,228, Mercedes-Benz 13,264, and BMW 17,304.
Its best-selling local model is the GV70, of which it has sold 593 units so far this year. It was the only model to break the 500-unit barrier, with the GV80 the only other car to be above 100 with 235 sales.
The GV60 has so far recorded 55 sales, while the two sedans – G70 and G80 – have logged 29 and 39 sales respectively to the end of August this year.
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What’s next for Genesis?
The company has previously confirmed its new vehicle launches from 2025 onwards will be electric, ahead of its switch to an EV-only lineup from 2030.
However, it recently confirmed it would introduce hybrid models, after having previously indicated it would skip these in the move to an electric-only lineup.
Some current models are expected to receive electric power in the coming years, and others could be on the chopping block very soon. Hyundai Motor Group has a new-generation EV platform in development too, called eM, which will be capable of adapting to various applications and will allow the carmaker to cut costs by around 20 per cent.
The Korean giant is reportedly targeting ranges of up to 800km with batteries as large as 113.2kWh, coupled with motors of outputs ranging from 200kW to 450kW.
Vehicles on this new-generation platform will also support over-the-air updates and a higher level of autonomous driving.
The GV90 is set to be the first to appear and will be Genesis’ largest SUV yet, and it’s been reported it will enter production in December next year.
While there aren’t details on any powertrains yet, the eM platform is touted to be an evolution of established e-GMP architecture underpinning most new Hyundai, Genesis and Kia electric models, including the Kia EV9.
The Genesis Neolun concept, revealed ahead of the New York motor show in March this year, is expected to be a preview of the upcoming GV90.
Following the release of the flagship GV90, the second-generation GV80 is expected to launch with only electric power.
It’s been reported the first GV80 electric prototype to begin testing sometime in the first half of 2025. After that, it’s expected to enter mass production in the second quarter of 2026 and use the new eM architecture.
Genesis is also reportedly developing an extended range electric vehicle (EREV) version of its GV70.
The GV70 EREV is expected to incorporate both a battery – potentially a large 40kWh pack – and an internal combustion engine, giving a potential total driving range in excess of 900 kilometres.
The G80 will reportedly be the only remaining Genesis sedan in a year’s time. While it currently offers internal combustion and electric power, it’ll likely be another to go fully electric in its next generation.
Genesis recently revealed hot Magma concept versions of both the petrol-powered G80 and the Electrified G80 EV as well, while a longer-wheelbase version has also been detailed for greater comfort in the rear.
The loser in it all this is the G70, which will likely soon meet its end as plans for a second generation have been scrapped.
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