Hyundai’s Luxury Brand Genesis Is Coming For The UK In 2020

Hyundai has confirmed that the Genesis luxury brand will target the UK as a priority when it comes to Europe in two years’ time

Matt Kimberley

18 May 2018

Europe is set to gain a new player in the luxury car segment, and the UK is its main European target. If you’re bored with BMWs, ambivalent about Audis and just not that bothered about Jaguars, luxury brand Genesis aims to steal your attention.

Genesis is to Hyundai what Lexus is to Toyota. In-house developed cars are fitted with vastly more refinements like extra (and better) technology, more soundproofing and more performance. Currently selling loads of cars in the US and Asia, Europe is next on the agenda to receive the brand’s full range of saloons and planned SUVs.

It will start with the G90, a Mercedes S-Class alternative that focuses on smooth comfort and advanced features. Beneath that is the smaller G80, an A6-sized repmobile with a hint of sporting intent, and the third saloon is the G70. Its sportier, more angular face serves as a tempting entry point into the brand and will go toe-to-toe with the likes of the BMW 3 Series and Jaguar XE.

Genesis will, at first, probably only appeal to those people who are bored with the big German three, but as Jaguar, Lexus and Infiniti have found out, it’s not so easy to wrench European sales away from the Munich, Stuttgart and Ingolstadt giants.

The G80, which was adapted and sold in the UK as the Hyundai Genesis

Hyundai once sold a car called the Genesis in the UK. Designed to be a rival to the 5 Series, it sold a shocking 50 cars over two years and was quietly shuffled out of the UK line-up. The G80, upon which it was based, will be making a return along with the whole range. Genesis boss Manfred Fitzgerald told Autocar that:

“To launch the brand, you come with your entire product portfolio. It’s not about volume. If it were, then you would go for a specific body type. Instead, it’s a brand- building exercise.”

SUVs are in the pipeline, though. The GV80, previewed by this concept (above), is a big ol’ beast that has the Audi Q7 in its sights. As with all new models, the SUVs will be built for petrol, diesel and hybrid options – although Fitzgerald says that pure electric options look likelier than halfway-house hybrids at this stage.

Whether the brand has the staying power to last through a few inevitably lean sales years and begin to grow in Europe, like Jaguar is beginning to, remains to be seen. The German brands will have their say, and their voices are loud.

Source: Autocar

Comments

Thats good, Genesis’ cars are really good.

Exactly my thoughts

I hope they also develop some Genesis N models. The G70 N could use Stinger’s V6 engine and G80 potentially use Hyundai’s 5-litre V8?

That would be pretty cool but I doubt the 5.0L V8, the V6 is lighter. Besides the G70 already uses a variant of the Stinger’s V6

There is a G80 with the 5-liter V8 already, although it’s oriented towards comfort of course. The previous generation (which was the Hyundai Genesis) also had the 5-liter V8 and before that the 4.6 V-8, which I drive almost everyday. Power is good and the engine is incredibly smooth but the car is not sporty at all, I do agree that with a sport oriented setup that engine could work very well, but nowadays naturally aspirated engined are not really considered so Hyundai would probably use the 3.3 V6

Never thought I’d ever see Hyundai and V8 in the same sentence

They are great cars and I hope that they’re doing well, but I doubt it. Brand name plays a huge role in that segment. Hyundai has to build a car that’s better than BMW in virtually every aspect if they want to be competitive.

Even if it did manage to make a car just as good,, that’s nowhere à guarantee for success. Brand recognition plays a big role here. See the disappointing commercial figures of the Giulia for reference despite being arguably as good as a rival to the 3-series as there can be rn

inb4 tesla reference

S- Class fanboys: iTs A HyUnDa1

I really want Genesis to succeed. I know they too, have it in ferms of luxury and are improving. It would be great to see them in UK as a high end embassy car for the parliament.