Genesis is the luxury vehicle division of the South Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company. It is a luxury sedan intended to lure Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz lovers into Hyundai showrooms.
For several years, people questioned why the luxurious Hyundai Genesis, had different logos from other Hyundai products. While other products possess the recognizable Hyundai “H” logo the Genesis was given a noticeably different one. But now it all makes sense.
Say hello to Genesis, Hyundai’s new standalone luxury brand that will seek to follow in the footsteps of Lexus, Infiniti and Acura. Created to compete with the world’s leading luxury automakers, Genesis will offer a six-model lineup, not all six models will premiere at once — the automaker plans to have that many in showrooms by 2020.
On the 4th of November 2015, Hyundai Motors announced Genesis motors as a sub-brand, to start its own premium brand. In order to compete with the other mainstream automakers who, have separate brands for their premium vehicles.
In the mid 1980’s, Honda launched Acura in the U.S. market and by the end of the decade, Toyota had pulled Lexus out of its hat and also Nissan had conjured up Infiniti. Now Genesis, Hyundai’s new luxurious sub-brand seek to follow in the footsteps. Hyundai is spinning off an all-new Genesis family of luxury vehicles from its mainstream lineup, leaving the Hyundai name to its plebes.
Aside from a unique design identity, naming structure and wing-shaped emblem, Genesis plans to avoid the traditional technological overload of its competitors, focusing instead on the customer experience. The automaker says we should expect a naming structure that uses the letter G, followed by numbers like 70, 80 or 90.
They announced the launch of their first model, the G90 (EQ900 in Korea), on the 9th of December 2015. The G90 will also serve as the brand’s flagship model. Created to compete with the world’s leading luxury automakers. The intention is to give Mercedes-Benz S-class a mild fright.
A rebranded version of the original Hyundai Genesis is expected to be launched as the Genesis G80. By 2020, a luxury sedan, a sports coupe, and two SUVs are also expected to be introduced; this would bring the number of Genesis models to six-model line-up. Not all six models will premiere at once.
Genesis have been slow – partially because of their uninspiring styling, but mostly because luxury car buyers don’t want to be seen in a Hyundai. So the brand is taking a page out of Toyota’s playbook, and spinning Genesis off into its own luxury brand.
According to Hyundai, the “G90 will compete at the top of the premium luxury car segment with world-class technological innovations and the highest levels of refinement, convenience and dynamic performance.
Which means when it arrives in showrooms, the G90 will assume its place atop the Genesis product hierarchy and replace the current Hyundai-badged Equus. As a result, it will be poised to compete directly against the likes of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the Audi A8, the BMW 7-Series, and the Lexus LS.
Power and Fuel Economy
As the top luxury model in the Genesis line-up, the G90’s (called EQ900 in Korea) is the first to incorporate the brand’s “Athletic Elegance’ design style. With its 204.9-inch overall length and 75.4-in width, the Genesis G90 features a long hood, upright grille, formal roofline, and stylish rear lamp cluster. Customers have a choice from three gasoline engines, starting with the standard 311-horsepower 3.8-liter V-6. The optional 3.3L V-6 develops 365-hp, and 376 pound-feet of torque, which is enough for 0-62 mph (approximately 100km/h) acceleration in 6.2 seconds and the top-tier 5.0L V-8 pumps out a healthy 420-hp. The V-8 is clearly the quickest of the bunch, requiring just 5.7 seconds to reach 62 mph (approximately 100km/h).
The engines shift through a Hyundai-designed eight-speed automatic transmission. Rear-wheel-drive is standard, while the V6 can be ordered with an optional all-wheel-drive system.
Genesis vehicles are built to last, designed for a worry-free experience while maintaining top tier quality throughout the life of ownership. Fuel economy is rated at 18/29 city/highway mpg for the RWD six-cylinder model, 19/25 mpg for the AWD six-cylinder variant, and 15/23 mpg with the V8.
On the dynamic front, the Genesis provides a compliant ride and predictable handling, although it isn’t tuned to be a sport sedan. An “Intelligent Drive Mode” system offers Normal, Eco, Sport and Snow settings that alter transmission mapping, throttle responsiveness, stability control and AWD settings (if equipped) to suite driving conditions and/or the driver’s mood. Each engine is linked with an eight-speed automatic transmission that transfers power to the standard rear-wheel or optional H-Trac all-wheel drive configurations.
Step inside the 2017 G90’s 2+2 interior and you will discover a first class environment, with the highest-quality, authentic materials that include Nappa leather, glossy real wood. You’ll also find plush seats with 22-way adjustment for the driver; a 12.3-inch display; a camera-monitoring system; and a premium sound system from Lexicon. Elsewhere in the well-appointed cabin, air conditioning is divided into three separately-controlled zones, and occupants can charge their cell phones using the latest in wireless charging technology.
There is also a long list of electronic safety and convenience features such as adaptive cruise control with lane keep assist, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, and warning systems for blind spots and driver attention. For the Korean market, the G90 will also be available with a semi-autonomous highway mode.
Occupant Safety
The second generation Genesis fully realizes the brand’s philosophy of human-focused safety, proving itself by achieving the highest rating in all measured categories of the 2014 IIHS Crash Test. All Genesis models come with dual front, front side, rear side and full-length side curtain airbags in addition to a driver’s knee airbag and traction and stability control systems.
The Genesis 5.0 adds to that list with an automatic emergency braking system that applies the brakes if it detects an impending collision; a blind spot warning system with a rear cross traffic alert system that warns the driver of approaching traffic in backup situations; a lane departure warning system with lane keep assist setup that warns the driver if the Genesis begins to wander into an adjacent lane and provides slight steering corrections to bring the sedan back on course; and an emergency steering support mode that automatically changes the setting of suspension and electronic stability control in the direction suitable for emergency steering, to help avoid frontal crash situations
