Genesis

You’ll say it’s “just a Hyundai,” but check out these luxury features on the Genesis G70.

This is luxury, you won’t believe the executive back seats!

There's a recall out for several Genesis models, including the GV70, G90, G80, and GV80.

Today, friend of TTAC Connie Peters has a video review of the 2026 Genesis G90 Prestige Black.

Despite constant assurances from the industry that cybersecurity is everyone’s top priority, there’s been another massive data breach. This time it affects the personal data of up to 2.7 million Hyundai Motor Group customers — potentially encompassing addresses, phone numbers, driver’s licenses, and even Social Security numbers.

The Genesis GV60 is being recalled for an issue that could cause the top of the windshield molding to detach. The recall impacts almost 8,000 vehicles from the 2023 through 2025 model years. While the problem is estimated to affect only one percent of the recall population, the action touches almost every GV60 sold in the U.S. so far.

People love boxy, off-road-ready SUVs. While most of them never leave the pavement, the appearance of capability and ruggedness matters, which is why automakers are looking to cut into the Mercedes-Benz G-Class’s sales. Genesis is the latest to jump, with CEO Jose Munoz telling Road and Track that the brand is eying new flagship models, including an off-roader similar to the X Gran Equator Concept.

The Genesis Electrified G80 has only been around since 2023, but it’s already getting the boot. Genesis recently confirmed the car’s departure, telling Car and Driver that, “the customer is at the core of every decision we make, and we remain flexible as we adapt to ever-changing consumer needs and market conditions,” confirming that the 2024 Electrified G80 would be the last to sell in the United States.

The press days of the 2025 New York International Auto Show are in the books.

I am in New York for the 2025 New York Auto Show. It's that time of year again.

The 2025 Genesis GV80 is yet another example of a four-door hatchback that's called a "coupe". This is annoying and I wish automakers would refrain from using the c-word on vehicles that have more than two doors. That said, this mangling of the language is one of the few flaws present here.

As in vogue, the Genesis brand is introducing a Black trim package for its large and comfy G80 sedan in the 2025 model year.

The Genesis GV60 EV debuted a few years ago, offering the brand’s signature eye-catching design and compelling tech. It’s getting an update for the 2025 model year that brings a revised exterior appearance, a giant new touchscreen, and more.

I let my thoughts on last week's 2024 Los Angeles Auto Show press day marinate over the long flight home and throughout the weekend. Here's my take on a weird (in a mostly good way) media day last week in LA.

The Genesis GV70 is one of the most eye-catching and value-packed SUVs in its segment, and it’s getting an update for the 2026 model year. Genesis’ most popular vehicle will receive updated styling, new technology, and more, but will retain its two powertrain choices.

Genesis gave the G80 sedan a makeover for the 2025 model year. The car should begin landing on showroom floors by the end of the summer, and Genesis recently released pricing for the upcoming luxury sedan.

Many automakers have found themselves in awkward positions after investing billions in aggressive EV conversion plans, only to realize that buyers aren’t as excited about them as hoped. Genesis is the latest to walk back some EV plans, saying that it would not go whole-hog on EVs after 2025 as it had initially announced.

"What kind of car are you driving?" my neighbor asked me this morning.

"A Genesis" I replied. Because 2024 Genesis Electrified GV70 AWD Prestige is a mouthful.

The Genesis Electrified G80 brings a gas-free powertrain to one of the more compelling values among large luxury sedans, and it’s getting improvements for the 2026 model year. The automaker recently revealed a newly updated version of the car that offers a longer wheelbase, a larger battery, and an improved range estimate.

Genesis has launched the “Genesis Track Taxi Nordschleife” program in Germany, offering rides around the Nürburgring. Members of the public who partake will ride shotgun while a professional driver takes a lap around the “The Green Hell” in a G70 3.3T.

At first blush, the South Korean automaker appears to be making some odd marketing decisions. But then you remember the company is overtly targeting German luxury brands.

South Korean media is reporting that Hyundai Motor Company will be purchasing electric motors from Lucid for future all-electric vehicles. The units are supposedly going to be installed into Genesis products as a way to ensure its EV technology is on the cutting edge.

Though it’s hard to celebrate more midsize SUVs on the American car market, Genesis has consistently been one of the more compelling options in several segments. The automaker updated the GV80 SUV for the 2025 model year, giving it a range of improvements, and recently announced pricing for the model shows that it didn’t increase the cost of entry by a large amount.

Standing still is a great way to get run over, especially in the cutthroat segment which is the luxury midsize crossover game. Genesis has just released images of its 2025 GV70, packing an enormous new infotainment screen but only a moderate price hike.

In recent years, auto shows haven’t been the exciting showcases of new vehicles they once were, but this year’s New York International Auto Show has already seen a few compelling concept vehicles. Genesis took the opportunity to show off a pair of SUV concepts, including a sleek electric model and a performance SUV from a new sub-brand called Magma.

A new recall has been issued for numerous models in the Genesis family of vehicles, stretching all the way back to 2015 when about half of the vehicles in this safety alert were still named the Hyundai Genesis.

Today I say goodbye to a funky EV hatchback that has charmed me in some ways and left me befuddled in others.

At an event earlier this week in Los Angeles, the Genesis brand unveiled a revamped GV80 crossover plus a production version of the GV80 Coupe which jumps on the bandwagon occupied by cut-roofed rigs like the BMW X6 and Mercedes GLE Coupe.

A glance at the specs and the body style of this vehicle should be enough to give driving enthusiasts a solid first impression of what it is and what it can do. It’s electric, and it’s a crossover. Double yawn. These are not ingredients from which one makes driving excitement.

But then you look at the badge. Genesis has been building some incredible luxury vehicles, in both sedan and SUV flavors, for a few years now. And upon entry, the BOOST button on the steering wheel gives you hope. Indeed, the 2023 Genesis GV70 Electrified brings genuine driving enjoyment to emissions-displaced motoring.

If, like us, you often recoil in horror when automakers add the word ‘coupe’ to a four-door SUV or crossover, it’s best to look away right now. Genesis has fallen to the trend, adding a swoopy-roofed GV80 Coupe to its range as part of a refreshed GV80 lineup.

Genesis has updated the G70 for South Korea by swapping the current 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine for the 2.5-liter unit that’s found in the Kia Stinger. The motor produces 300 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque in the Kia — suggesting that the 2024 model year will be extra spicy for the G70.

While the manufacturer has not yet confirmed the change for North America, it seems unlikely that they’d leave us with the 252-hp turbocharged four-cylinder. The 2.5-liter turbo will likely supplant it as standard equipment or perhaps be offered as an option, with the 365-hp V6 presumably sticking around for decked out versions of the G70. 

People love to buy SUVs, and some automakers have responded by tilting their vehicle offerings in favor of larger vehicles, though many remain committed to cars. Genesis isn’t giving up on its gorgeous luxury sedans anytime soon, as the company’s chief creative officer recently told Australian media that “it’s a mistake to basically write off a typology of a vehicle.”

The luxury brand from Korea, which is surely causing a few sleepless nights at some certain other established marques, has used the stage of New York City to unveil a new variant of its tremendous GV80 crossover.

Genesis has been widely praised for its recent vehicle releases, including the new GV60 EV and earlier models like the GV70 SUV. Though they’re fantastic vehicles, they aren’t immune to recalls, as the automaker recently recalled 65,517 units for potentially exploding seatbelt pretensioners.

Try as I might, I don’t review cars on a full-time basis. Blame two kids and a mortgage. That means that my rather unusual hobby is a natural subject of discussion whilst engaged in my usual nine-to-five, where I’m interacting with customers all day long. 

Despite being chided for reliability issues of late, Hyundai Motor Group has been launching some of the most interesting designs the industry has had to offer – with the Genesis brand unveiling some of the most tasteful and novel concepts we’ve seen in years. Chalk up another one with the X Convertible Concept that was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week.

Hello from sunny Southern California. You may notice a later-than-usual posting schedule today and tomorrow as we work our way through the LA Auto Show -- we're sorta working on West Coast time.

Which brings me to the QOTD -- what debut from this show has you perking up?

The Genesis brand has been running full throttle in an attempt to take a seat at the table generally occupied by the likes of BMW and Mercedes, rapidly introducing new models in important segments and setting tongues wagging about the quality of its cabin materials. Those in the B&B of a certain age will recall this is the playbook used (to much success) by Lexus back in 1990.

Its latest? An all-electric version of the generally excellent GV70 crossover, set to make its debut at the LA Auto Show later this month. But we’ve got a few specs – notably horsepower and torque – ahead of the big reveal.

Thanks to a consumer base that would rather spend their shillings on an SUV instead of a sedan, the new Hyundai Grandeur won’t be making its way to North America. Still, with styling like this, it is difficult not to imagine an alternate universe in which this is the brand’s foil against all-electric cars like the Mercedes-Benz EQS and Lucid Air. 

Genesis made a name for itself with value-forward vehicles that bring enough tech, luxury, and performance to beat rivals from Europe and North America. Once part of Hyundai, the automaker has begun electrifying its lineup, so we’re starting to see that brand-building power with a wave of new cars and SUVs. Genesis just announced pricing for its latest EV, the 2023 Electrified G80, which will start at $80,290 after a $1,095 freight and destination charge.

Genesis is an interesting brand. Decades after Japanese automakers launched premium nameplates of their own, South Korea’s Hyundai decided to spin off one of its sedans into an entire luxury sub-brand in 2015. The resulting vehicles have been solid performers, representing excellent value for individuals in the market for something fancier. Genesis is building real luxury cars and working to differentiate those models from Hyundai Motor Groups’ mainstream products.

But it’s had to overcome plenty of obstacles. While Genesis’ product might be dunking on some of the other Asian luxury brands, achieving the same notoriety has been difficult for the fresh nameplate. The company also isn’t targeting Acura, Infiniti, and Lexus. Its sights are set on the Germans, with many vehicles already comparing favorably. But if Genesis is to become a serious rival, it needs to distance itself from the Hyundai and Kia models it traditionally shares a lot with — resulting in its very first standalone retail store in the United States.

We love categorization, don’t we? We must always define exactly who or what something or someone is before we can be satisfied. Whether by gender, race, political persuasion, religion, society has always done great things when we reduce to base characteristics and put everyone into their neat little boxes.

Um, anyway.

Cars are like this too. We have definitions for compact, subcompact, full-size, and midsize cars – but the definitions are always in flux. Crossovers and SUVs are their own Linnaean nightmare – and don’t get me started on how to define luxury. It used to be 10 steers worth of leather and enough road isolation to allow for delicate medical procedures in the backseat, but times have changed. The 2022 Genesis GV70 is a different look at tall car luxury.

The North American International Auto Show, aka the Detroit Auto Show, isn’t taking place in January anymore. It’s set for a move to September.

But that didn’t stop the traditional North American Car and Truck of the Year award ceremony from taking place at Cobo Center Huntington Place this morning.

As I’m sure many of you who’ve read my work here know, I’m not a full-time automotive journalist. I work in a sales career – my nights and weekends, when not occupied with my kids and their activities, are spent in my dungeon of a basement office, mashing out car reviews and other stuff. I literally take vacation from my day gig to go on the occasional new car launch for TTAC and other places. So, I don’t get to write about every car I drive – and occasionally, it takes me a while to publish on a car I’d driven months ago. Witness reviews publishing in June that have snow in the background (Ed. note: You’re not the only one. Ahem).

I’m mentioning this as it’s been about three months since I drove the 2021 Genesis GV80. It’s been a busy summer, to be certain, but I’ve had time. But every time I open a new Word doc and title it “2021 Genesis GV80 Review.docx,” I sit staring at a blinking cursor for what seems like hours before I pack it in and resolve to write another day.

My struggle comes from my complete lack of complaint about the GV80 – and my total concern that I come off to you, the Best & Brightest, as a Genesis shill. If a midsized premium SUV/wagon/crossover thing is what you need, I can think of no other vehicle that is better. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.

Having distinguished itself from the rest of the Hyundai Motor Group, Genesis has been furnishing desirable luxury vehicles that are a little easier on your pocketbook than what’s on offer from Germany. But it’s still inextricably linked to its corporate family, which recently introduced the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 to make sure everyone knows they’re not snubbing electrification. Not wanting to be left out, Genesis has revealed something riding on the E-GMP platform as well.

Unfortunately, it’s kind of hideous.

Golf legend Tiger Woods was involved in a nasty one-car accident yesterday. He survived, but he suffered serious injuries, and his golf career might be in jeopardy.

Not long after my social feeds lit up with the news, I came across a tweet in which it was clear that he was driving a Genesis GV80. One that bore the logo of a recent golf tourney on its door. Woods had apparently been loaned the car by Genesis.

Genesis has been planning a mid-cycle update for the G70 sedan for a while and has been obliging us with previews showing off how good its designers are at their jobs for months. But Hyundai Motor Group recently previewed the model in South Korea to prove that the improvements made went beyond mere aesthetics.

While the split headlamps and updated grille bring the model more in line with other Genesis products, sacrificing a bit of visual menace for a more upscale appearance, technological changes ensure it’s no less capable from a performance standpoint. Next year, the Genesis G70 will receive a new sports+ driving mode that tightens engine and transmission programming to squeeze out every ounce of performance available, a new dynamic AWD system featuring a built-in drift mode, and an exhaust with active valves to make the V6 sound as sweet as possible on demand.

Genesis has predictably brought the G70 onboard with the rest of its lineup’s familial styling. Fortunately, the look the company has gone for has successfully merged disparate concepts by being both spectacular and incredibly tasteful. While your author would have argued that prior Genesis models had aped German exteriors so effectively that they might actually be beating Deutschland at its own game, the new designs only serve extend its advantage. It seems as though everything Hyundai Motor Group touches these days can’t help but have a stunning exterior and it’s true from the sub-$25,000 Kia K5 right on up to the $72,000 Genesis G90.

Quad lamps (front and rear) are now the hallmark of Genesis Motor and have finally been affixed to the G70, giving it a more refined and luxury-focused appearance. It’s also quite unique across the industry and helps distinguish the Korean brand from other nameplates at a distance. While many (including your author) enjoyed the sporting musculature on the current model, 2022 will be a more opulent affair better suited to the frugal fanciness the Genesis has become synonymous with.

Genesis sure is getting a lot of headlines lately. That wasn’t always the case.

Yesterday, we told you of spy photos showing a compact hatchback/crossover vehicle that’s destined to become the fledgling premium brand’s new electric vehicle. What name it will bear, and what type of performance and range it can offer, is unknown, but Genesis will most definitely benefit from Hyundai’s new e-GMP dedicated EV architecture and its fast-charging 800-volt electrical system.

Then another electric Genesis appeared, this one looking quite familiar.

Already in the unenviable position of having gone its entire life without the presence of a utility vehicle, the now-adolescent Genesis brand has one last hurdle to clear before it can join the rest of its peers.

That hurdle is a delay caused by the spring coronavirus shutdown — meaning that the long-awaited GV80 SUV and its revamped sedan platform mate, the G80, won’t make it to market this summer, as initially planned.

Korea’s answer to the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class earned accolades upon its launch, with some kudos reserved for the availability of a six-speed manual transmission paired with the base 2.0-liter turbo four.

You know what’s coming next. Due for a refresh for the 2022 model year, the G70 is in line for an automatic-only future.

A mainstream brand in 2019 without a crossover? It’s almost unthinkable, though not in the context of a fledgling marque and a rapidly changing automotive landscape.

Genesis Motors, the luxury ying to Hyundai’s everyman yang, is still recovering from a tumultuous 2018 in which its confused dealer strategy gradually became clearer. And it’s still taking shape, with some 318 U.S. dealers at last count amid rising, albeit modest, sales volumes. With more standalone stores on the way and a trio of models now in the stable, Genesis’ work has only just begun. It next needs to break into the all-too-important crossover market.

It looks like the first CUV salvo is almost ready to fire.

Hyundai’s luxury Genesis brand is set to launch a new global electric vehicle architecture in 2021. Both a sedan and SUV are said to be in the works, positioning the Korean models to go head-to-head with Tesla Motors. These would be the first electric vehicles created under the Genesis moniker and are just a part of their growing commitment to developing alternative-propulsion vehicles.

Take a good look at the state of the sports sedan. Once defined as four doors, compact dimensions, rear-wheel drive, and a manual transmission, there are precious few new cars sold today that fit that narrow criteria. The German manufacturers who made their names in this segment have abandoned the third pedal.

The only choice left is this 2019 Genesis G70 Sport – fitted with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, a six-speed manual transmission, and rear wheel drive. Does it win by default as the last car standing in a shrinking market, or is it worthy of accolades on its own merits?

Three large and luxurious sedans compete for around $70,000 of your hard-earned and imaginary Internet dollars. Surely this is a segment where compromise will not be a concern, right?

Nope.

As we explained earlier this year, the fledgling Genesis brand is going through puberty. The brand’s constantly evolving dealer strategy is now set in stone, or what passes for it in the world of Genesis, but the process of separating the brand from its Hyundai parent won’t take place overnight. There’s dealers to whittle down, licenses to gain, standalone stores to build, and inventory to stock.

It’s a work in progress, but the 2019 models — which now total three — are beginning to find their way to more buyers, Genesis claims. Be patient.

Driving my family can be a harried experience. The pair of tween girls in my brood constantly chatter about whatever both to each other and to nobody in particular. Or they’ll be silent save the bleeps and boops of their cell phones or Nintendo 3DS, playing silly games and texting nobody in particular.

Thus, when the kids hopped in the back of this 2018 Genesis G90, I expected more of the same, turning up the stereo in reflexive compensation. But, to my astonishment, the girls became immediately calm — the youngest dozed off quickly en route to Grandma’s house, located just across town. Quieting a hyper 10-year-old — that alone can sell a car to moms and dads everywhere.

Representing a good value among the premium full-size sedan set, the Genesis G90 remains thin on the ground — and not just because of America’s fondness for crossovers and SUVs. As it begins its roll-out of standalone Genesis stores, the fledgling brand planned to kick off the new dealer strategy by fielding only 2019 model-year vehicles. That meant a sell-down of existing stock throughout the summer and fall.

For the 2020 model year, the second model launched by Hyundai’s luxury division, the G90, undergoes a significant refresh, though the marque’s future hinges on a trio of yet-to-be-seen crossovers.