Genesis: A Guide to Everything You Need to Know

The Genesis is less than 10 years old, but it’s already making its mark on the luxury car world.

A spin-off of luxury Hyundai, Genesis entered the market as a direct competitor to other similar brands such as Lexus, as well as German giants BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi.

Even with that goal, Genesis remains a niche player in Australia. Sales are well below rivals, but it is content with its position as it looks to maintain its model range and expand into new technologies – in particular it hopes to move to fully electric vehicles by 2030.

But that doesn’t mean it can’t have fun, as it recently launched its Magma performance sub-brand, previewing popular versions of the GV60 electric SUV and G80 sedan.

Recently it has also launched The Nürburgring taxi service uses the G70 sedan to give customers the opportunity to experience hot laps 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 Hyundai Motor Group. It was established as an independent brand in 2015 and launched in Australia in 2019. Its headquarters is located in Seoul, South Korea.

The name Genesis was first revealed back in 2003, when Hyundai unveiled the first Genesis car in the form of 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, described as “a progressive interpretation of the modern rear-wheel-drive sports sedan.” This was followed in 2008 by the Genesis Coupe.

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

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

• Genesis has experienced seven years of success in the luxury car market
• Genesis ranks among the top three sales in its segment
• Customers show interest in separate Genesis unit

The second-generation Hyundai Genesis was renamed the Genesis G80, while the brand’s first unique model was the G90 sedan, which 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 entered production in 1999.

It was followed by the smaller G70 sedan, a rival to the BMW 3 Series launched in 2017. The brand launched its first SUV in 2020, the GV80.

That same year, Genesis launched the GV70, followed by two new electric vehicles (EVs) in 2021. They are the electric G80 and GV60, the latter sharing the Hyundai e-GMP platform used in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.

Genesis has also unveiled a series of concept cars, the first of which was the 2015 Vision G. While it was originally shown as a Hyundai model and predated the launch of the standalone brand, it carried a Genesis badge and was eventually pared down to the G90.

A new concept followed each year, starting with the 2016 New York sedan (later the G70), followed by the GV80 SUV, Essentia grand tourer and Mint city car. There are no concept cars in 2020, but Genesis released the X coupe the following year and the Neolun SUV earlier this year.

Genesis also has multiple studios around the world designed to provide customers with the opportunity to view and experience models in a more intimate setting than a typical dealership. The first store opened in Henan, South Korea in 2016, and since then other stores in international locations such as South Korea and China have followed suit.

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

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

Genesis models are currently sold in countries and regions including South Korea, China, the Middle East, Canada, Australia, the United States, Europe, Taiwan and Japan.

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What can you buy from Genesis right now?

Genesis sells five models in Australia.

Genesis’ Australian line-up is as follows:

All prices are exclusive of on-road prices.

You’ll notice that Genesis uses an alphanumeric naming convention – its sedans begin with “G” and its SUVs begin with “GV.” Electric-vehicle versions of its internal-combustion-engine cars add the word “electrified” to the model name.

Hotter performance versions of each model will carry the Magma name.

It offers three electric models, but only one – the GV60 – rides on a dedicated EV platform. The electrified G80 and electrified GV70 share platforms with the combustion-powered G80 and GV70 respectively.

While most of Genesis’ vehicles are sedans or SUVs, it does offer a wagon: the G70 Shooting Brake, which was developed with Europe in mind.

It also has a single-door coupe SUV, the recently launched GV80 Coupe.

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What brands does Genesis compete with?

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

The GV70 is the Korean brand’s best-selling model in Australia, competing against the likes of the BMW X3, Audi Q5, Lexus NX and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class.

The larger GV80 is a rival to the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE, and the GV80 Coupe competes with the X6 and GLE Coupe.

Genesis offers two electric SUV alternatives, such as the BMW iX3 GV60 and the electric GV70.

In terms of sedans, Genesis’ rear-wheel-drive G70 is comparable to models such as 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 wagon.

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

The electric G80 is more expensive than the gas-powered G80 and competes with the BMW i5.

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How popular is Genesis in Australia?

Genesis is a niche brand, with its competitors selling far fewer units as of 2024.

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

Its best-selling local model is the GV70, with 593 units sold so far this year. It was the only car to cross the 500-unit mark, and the GV80 was the only car to sell more than 100 units, with 235 units sold.

As of the end of August this year, 55 GV60 units had been sold, while the two sedans, G70 and G80, had sold 29 and 39 units respectively.

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What’s next for Genesis?

The company has previously confirmed that new cars launched from 2025 will be electric, before moving to a fully electric lineup from 2030.

However, the company recently confirmed it will launch hybrid models, having previously said it would skip those models in favor of pure electric models.

Some current models are expected to receive power within the next few years, while others may soon be phased out. Hyundai Motor Group is also developing a next-generation electric vehicle platform called eM, which will be able to adapt to various applications and enable the automaker to cut costs by about 20%.

The South Korean giant is reportedly targeting a range of up to 800 kilometers, a battery capacity of up to 113.2kWh, and a motor output from 200kW to 450kW.

Vehicles on this new generation platform will also support over-the-air updates and higher levels of autonomous driving.

The GV90 will be the first model to debut, Genesis’ largest SUV to date, and will reportedly go into production in December next year.

While there aren’t any powertrain details yet, the eM platform is believed to be an evolution of the existing e-GMP architecture and underpins most new Hyundai, Genesis and Kia electric models, including the Kia EV9.

The Genesis Neolun concept was unveiled ahead of the New York Auto Show in March this year and 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 a pure electric model.

According to reports, the first GV80 electric prototype will begin testing in the first half of 2025. After that, it is expected to enter mass production in the second quarter of 2026 and adopt the new eM architecture.

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

The GV70 EREV is expected to be equipped with a battery (possibly a large 40kWh battery pack) and an internal combustion engine, with a total driving range that may exceed 900 kilometers.

According to reports, the G80 will be the only remaining Genesis sedan within a year. While it currently offers a combustion engine and electric power, it may become fully electric in the next generation.

Genesis also recently unveiled versions of its popular Magma concept of the gasoline-powered G80 and electrified G80 EV, while also detailing longer-wheelbase versions to improve rear comfort.

The loser in all this is the G70, which may soon be coming to an end as plans for its second generation are scrapped.

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