It hasn’t even been a year since Hyundai broke out of the value car market and jumped into the luxury segment with its new Genesis brand. Since then, we’ve seen the new Genesis G90 and, more recently, the Genesis G80. With a mission to differentiate itself from Hyundai and Kia, not to mention its new German competition, the Genesis brand can’t rest for one minute. Each Genesis model has to be different from anything Hyundai and Kia has, and those models need to keep up with the luxury and comfort of the more dominate premium brands out there. With that said, part of Genesis’ strategy is to launch an all-electric vehicle.

The news comes from Senior Vice President, Manfred Fitzgerald, who also said, “We will definitely go as Genesis brand down the road of alternative propulsions, and it is very, very obvious that EV is definitely on the map. I think full electric cars will be the future in the auto industry.”

So far, the G90 and G80 are gasoline-powered models, but word has it the Genesis G80 will also get a diesel engine option as early as next year. Adding in an all-electric drivetrain would certainly diversify the Genesis brand’s methods of propulsion and would help to bring it in-line with other premium brands like Mercedes and BMW. So far, there's no timeline as to when this new all-electric vehicle will come to be, but it's in the works, so you can bet you’ll probably see it before the turn of the decade. The real question is – how big will it be? Will it be small like BMW’s i3 five-door hatch? And, to go with that question, what kind of range are we talking here?

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Why it matters

This is a pretty big deal for the new luxury brand. After only coming to life less than a year ago, two production models and plans for more tells us that Genesis isn’t wasting any time. It seems like a bold move to start pouring money into an all-electric vehicle this early on, but Genesis seems determined to hit the ground running, and so far, it's done just that. I hope the brand really thinks the whole electrification thing through, though. So far, most all-electric cars, like the BMW i3 and the Chevy Bolt, offer little in terms of all-electric range. If Genesis really wants to stay on top of the competition, it will take the time to develop a vehicle and an electric powertrain that offers at least 300 miles of range. We have the technology; automakers just need to put it to use. With that said, I’m looking forward to seeing where Genesis goes with this future electric model – it could very well be something that helps the company thrive if it can beat out the competition in range and price.

Genesis G90

Read our full review on the Genesis G90 here.