The countdown to Super Bowl LI is filled to the brim with events spread throughout what is now referred to as “Super Bowl Week.” One of the highlight events of this week is the Pro Bowl, which the AFC just won over the NFC, 20 to 17. Two players in particular, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce and the Buffalo Bills’ Lorenzo Alexander, stood out from their peers, earning themselves the offensive and defensive MVP awards, respectively. But Kelce and Alexander didn’t just win trophies for their efforts; they’re also each taking home a Genesis G80 sedan.

It’s a pretty sweet incentive when you a Genesis G80 is on the line. Kelce and Alexander did just that with the Chiefs tight end winning the offensive MVP award after racking up 36 yards and a touchdown to lead the AFC over Alexander and the NFC. For his part, the Bills linebacker made a good show for himself too, finishing the the game with eight tackles to notch the defensive MVP award.

For their efforts, Kelce and Alexander both get a luxury sedan that’s being touted as a legitimate competitor to the BMW 5 Series and the Audi A6, two German stalwarts that have dominated the mid-size luxury sedan segment for years. The G80 is no slouch of a luxury sedan itself. It features a design that’s at home in this segment as any of its German rivals. It also has a well-appointed interior and just as important, it comes with Hyundai’s award-winning 5.0-liter "Tau" V-8 engine that’s good for 420 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque.

Best of all, the G80 comes with 107.7 cubic feet of passenger volume, more than what the 5 Series, Cadillac CTS, Lexus GS, Infiniti Q70, and Mercedes E-Class all have to offer. For two larger-than-life athletes who need all the in the interior space they can get, the G80 is a solid car to address those needs.

Give credit where it’s due. Both Kelce and Alexander balled at the Pro Bowl and for their efforts, they’ve been rewarded with a luxury sedan that’s fighting its own battles for supremacy.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Good spot for Genesis to get its name off the ground

If there was ever a sporting event that a new automaker like Genesis can drum up interest for its cars, it’s the Super Bowl. Being the official “luxury vehicle of the National Football League” will certainly afford Hyundai’s new luxury sub brand a lot of opportunities to get some air time in the game, but it’s still unclear if Genesis will also hand over the keys to a new car to the eventual Super Bowl MVP.

What’s clear at this point is that the automaker did exactly that in the Pro Bowl. Even better, it awarded two models to the game’s two MVPs. That’s double the exposure for the company, something that Genesis will need a lot of if it hopes to win over a market that’s proven to have a varied taste in mid-size luxury sedans.

Ultimately, brand awareness is what Genesis needs the most at this point since it’s still a new brand relative to its competitors. It got plenty of coverage from the Pro Bowl although the automaker would’ve probably been better served if the two MVPs were given to two more established players like say Drew Brees and Clay Matthews.

At the end of the day though, Genesis got what it wanted out of it. The G80 was front and center during the game and despite not having as many viewers compared to the Super Bowl, a lot of people still got enough time to see the new luxury sedan and what it has to offer. Now let’s see how Genesis can parlay all that exposure into something a lot more meaningful.

Read our full review on the Genesis G80 here.