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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
