Genesis Wants a Piece of The SUV Pie and the First Model Could Arrive by 2020

TopSpeed

By Kirby Garlitos

Published Sep 12, 2018

The automaker's entry into the SUV market was a question of "when," not "if"

The Genesis brand has finally confirmed its plans to enter the crossover and SUV market, beginning with its first SUV offering, the GV80. Named directly after the concept version that the company unveiled last year, the GV80 will usher in a lineup of crossovers exclusively developed and sold under Hyundai’s premium brand. In addition to the GV80, a smaller crossover, called the GV70, will also arrive at a later date.

If Genesis wants to make an impression as a luxury automaker, selling sedans will only get it so far. The brand needs to bolster its lineup with crossovers and SUVs. As exciting as models like the G70, G80, and G90 sedans are, the SUV market is the segment that’s printing money these days. Parent company Hyundai knows this all too well, which is why a Genesis SUV wasn’t so much a possibility as it was an absolute certainty.

As it turns out, we’re going to get exactly that in two year’s time with the arrival of the Genesis GV80.

Genesis hasn’t announced specific details about the GV80, but Genesis Motor America Executive Director Erwin Raphael told Car and Driver that the production model would adopt a lot of the styling cues presented on the GV80 Concept last year. That would make sense because another Genesis model, the G80 sedan, has already adopted some of the design features of the GV80 Concept, including the twin element headlights that became one of the concept’s most enduring design elements. It’s also worth mentioning that Genesis plans to launch both the G80 and the GV80 around the same time.

As it is, the launch timetable isn’t the only thing that both models will have in common. They’ll also share a new platform and have both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive capabilities available. It’s also likely that the GV80 SUV will have the same engine lineup as its sedan counterpart. That would include a 3.8-liter V-6 engine as a base powertrain, a 3.3-liter twin-turbo V-6 as a mid-tier offering, and a 5.0-liter Tau V-8 as a range-topper.

Similar to the relationship between the G80 and GV80, the GV70 is expected to share a platform with the G70 sport sedan. The GV70 is due to arrive in 2021, at which time we could see brand-new powertrains, including a hybrid setup.

But, the GV70 is a car for another time. It’s its big brother, the GV80, that we’re going to talk about a lot more in the coming months.

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