Genesis

Auto blog

2022 Genesis G80 Sport Prestige Road Test | More prestige than sport

At this point, we know what to expect when Hyundai applies an N badge to its cars. The resulting vehicles are serious performance machines with tremendous appeal to enthusiasts. Over at corporate sibling Genesis, however, the label of “Sport” has brought with it a relatively inconsistent experience. This confusion remains with the 2022 Genesis G80 Sport. Part of the problem is that there are two versions: the Sport and Sport Prestige. Both add the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 as standard equipment, an engine that has been discontinued as an option on other G80s for 2022. Those are now fitted only with the 2.5-liter turbo inline-four.  Beyond that, the two Sports share a number of appearance changes to further differentiate them from the standard models. These include a unique dark chrome grille, new front and rear bumper designs, black bezels around the lights and dark chrome throughout where youÂ’d find brightwork on regular G80s. The standard Sport gets special 19-inch wheels, but the Sport Prestige gets its own 20-inch wheel design that can be paired with optional summer tires. That's all she wrote for the base Sport, however, making it effectively an appearance package paired with the V6 engine. If all you care for are those looks and the extra power — and by golly, does it look good — refer to our standard G80 review, because thatÂ’s how the standard G80 Sport will drive. For a more comprehensive, fully realized performance model, you have to put up an extra $6,300 for the Sport Prestige. That's the version we're driving here. Despite a name that implies extra leather or general fanciness, the Prestige is in fact the version that adds high-performance features beyond the bigger engine. You get a sport-tuned adaptive suspension, high-performance brakes, rear-wheel steering and that ability to option summer performance tires. In other words, this is the real Sport.  That said, to set expectations, donÂ’t come into this hoping for a Mercedes-AMG, BMW M or Audi Sport competitor. Despite the upgrades, the G80 Sport Prestige is still not aiming at that level of performance. The slinky sedanÂ’s powertrain produces 375 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque and routes it through an eight-speed automatic transmission. The eight-speed is the same as before, but new tuning for a unique “Sport+” drive mode makes the G80 a far more aggressive shifting partner on curvy roads.

Apple's digital car keys may work with Hyundai and Genesis models this summer

Apple's digital car key feature might soon be useful for unlocking more than a handful of BMW models. In his latest newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed Hyundai and its upscale Genesis badge will support Apple CarKey "by the summer." It's not certain which models would provide the option, but it's notable that some trim levels of the Ioniq 5 and other Hyundai cars include NFC for a (currently proprietary) digital key. While remote lock controls have been available through smartphones for a while, CarKey (and its Android equivalent) treats the phone more like a physical key. You just have to bring your phone or Apple Watch to the door handle to unlock it, and you can even place your phone in a given area to start the car. People with ultra-wideband iPhones (such as the iPhone 11 and newer) can even leave their phone in their pocket when opening and starting the vehicle. If the leak is accurate, Apple's move could significantly expand the audience for digital car keys — you wouldn't need to shop from one high-end marque to even consider it. A deal would also suggest the tussle over a possible EV collaboration wasn't enough to deter Apple and Hyundai from exploring a CarKey team-up. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Genesis Hyundai Technology Smartphone Apple

Hyundai shoots down the rumor claiming it is done developing engines

Hyundai has clarified that the recent rumor claiming it had stopped developing gasoline- and diesel-burning engines to focus on various forms of electrifications is false. It said that development work remains on-going and that the internal combustion engine still has a future. "Hyundai Motor Group can confirm that it is not halting the development of its engines following recent media speculation. The Group is dedicated to providing a strong portfolio of powertrains to its global customers, which includes a combination of highly efficient engines and zero-emissions electric motors," said senior group manager Michael Stewart in an interview with Motor1. The report that emerged in late 2021 claimed that the Hyundai Group (which includes the Hyundai brand, Kia, and Genesis, among other entities) had completely stopped designing piston-powered engines to focus on electrification. It claimed that most of the engineers had been assigned new roles related to electrification, though it also noted that some were staying behind to continue refining the technology. If this sounds familiar, it's likely because Hyundai recently shot down a separate but similar rumor that said it had put the hydrogen-electric powertrain it planned to install in many of its cars (including some upmarket Genesis models) on hiatus. The carmaker explained that it has merely reshuffled the team that's developing the technology because unspecified technical hurdles have slowed down the project. Several electric Hyundai models are in the pipeline, including the production version of the Prophecy concept unveiled in 2020 and a relatively big SUV previewed by the 2021 Seven concept. But, its comments suggest that more gasoline-powered models are on the way as well, which is great news; its range of N-tuned high-performance models includes excellent cars and there's still room for it to grow. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Hyundai puts its hydrogen development program on hiatus

UPDATE: According to Pulse news in South Korea, Hyundai denies that it has paused development of hydrogen fuel cells. Instead, the report suggests the team was reshuffled as technological hurdles have slowed down progress. Time will tell which version of the report is factual. Hydrogen technology has reportedly lost one of its biggest and most vocal proponents, at least for now. Citing a long list of hurdles, Hyundai has allegedly stopped developing the hydrogen-electric powertrain it planned to put in several of its cars (including Genesis models) in the coming years. Anonymous sources told South Korean publication Chosunbiz that executives pulled the emergency brake after analyzing the results of a feasibility study. Nothing is official at this point, and the report stresses that the pause is temporary. However, the issues reportedly found are relatively serious: they include unspecified technical problems and a lack of marketability due in part to cost-related concerns. The news comes as a surprise because Hyundai has invested a tremendous amount of resources into making hydrogen a viable alternative to gasoline without many of the inconveniences associated with EVs, like long charging times and limited driving range. It's one of the few carmakers in the world that sells a hydrogen-electric car (the Nexo; pictured), and it announced plans to build about 130,000 hydrogen-powered cars annually by 2025. And yet, the Nexo is a tough sell, even in hydrogen-friendly markets like South Korea; 8,206 units were sold there through November 2021. The 671-horsepower Vision FK concept unveiled earlier in 2021 will seemingly remain at the prototype stage. Interestingly, a separate unverified report claims that Hyundai has also shuttered its engine development division. If both are accurate, it means that the Hyundai group (which includes Kia and Genesis) will exclusively develop electric powertrains starting in the near future. Several car companies have tried to pelt hydrogen-powered cars into the mainstream over the past decade and most have failed. Some of the issues facing the technology include the lack of a charging infrastructure and governments with a single-minded focus on EVs. There are 48 hydrogen charging stations in America, according to the United States Department of Energy, and 47 of those are located in California. While that's great news for Californians, it makes the Nexo completely useless for someone driving from Salt Lake City to Seattle.

Hyundai shutters engine development in shift to electric and hydrogen vehicles

Hyundai is quickly pivoting into an era of electric vehicles. Shortly after announcing it would halve the number of internal combustion models, it launched its first EV on its dedicated Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), the supremely enjoyable Ioniq 5. Now, as The Korea Economic Daily reports, Hyundai Motor Group, which includes sister brand Kia and luxury brand Genesis, has closed its engine development division at its research and development center in South Korea to put those resources into electric powertrain development. According to the report, researchers from engine design are moving to its electrification design center, but a few remain behind to continue to refine existing internal combustion engines. The powertrain system development center will become an electrification test center, and the performance division will focus on electric performance. The group has also established a battery development center, and the R&D Center will also focus on raw materials for batteries and semiconductors. In an email, R&D boss Park Chung-Kook told employees, “Now, it is inevitable to convert into electrification. Our own engine development is a great achievement, but we must change the system to create future innovation based on the great asset from the past.” Hyundai Motor Group is targeting one million EVs a year by 2025, and full electrification by the year 2040. In addition to the newly launched Ioniq 5, Hyundai is planning to launch the Ioniq 6 EV, based on the stunning Prophecy concept, in 2022, and weÂ’ve already seen spy shots of that prototype in testing. That will be followed by the full-size Ioniq 7 SUV in 2024, which was recently previewed by the Seven Concept at the 2021 L.A. Auto Show. Kia is set to launch the EV6 in 2022, and Genesis recently revealed the GV60 electric crossover, both of which will use HyundaiÂ’s E-GMP architecture. Genesis also recently revealed an electric version of the GV70 crossover in China. Of course, Hyundai is also invested in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, both commercial vehicles like its Xcient trucks, and passenger cars like the Nexo and the recently revealed Vision FK concept. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Albert Biermann, the man behind some of Hyundai's sportiest cars, retires

Hyundai Motor Group, which includes Kia and Genesis, made big news by announcing at the end of 2014 that it was bringing on Albert Biermann to its research and development division. He had spent just over 30 years at BMW and was in charge of the M division before he left. His time at Hyundai led to some of the company's best driving cars, which meet or beat the global competition. But now, the company has announced Biermann is retiring. At 65 years old, it's not entirely surprising that Biermann would be looking at retirement, and he seems to be leaving on good terms. "Korea will remain as my second home, and all of my colleagues at Hyundai Motor Group will always be considered part of my family. I would like to recognize that our success has always been based on the strong collective spirit of the many talented people at Hyundai, and I will value our unique achievements wherever I live," he said in a release from Hyundai. Fortunately, Biermann will still be an Executive Technical Advisor for the company. Specifically, he'll be advising on electrified performance cars. We say fortunately, because Biermann has been so involved in some of the company's best cars. He helped make the company's rear-drive-based cars such as the Kia Stinger and Genesis models so fun to drive. He also helped setup Hyundai's N sub-brand, and the N models are among the best sport compacts in the world. Assuming Hyundai has taken to heart many things from Biermann, and with his continued advising, the company should still be in a good position. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2022 Hyundai Kona N Short Cut

New Genesis G90 interior is bold, colorful and packed with decadence

The all-new Genesis G90 flagship sedan was revealed a couple weeks ago, but all that was shown was the outside. Now the company has revealed not only the interior, but a bunch of the car's features. Among those details is what will power the G90. It will use a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The company didn't provide any additional details, but it will likely make 375 horsepower, as the engine does in the G80 sedan. Rear-wheel and all-wheel drive will probably be available, too. As for the interior, it has many of the same motifs as its Genesis brethren: one long air vent, a low dash and plenty of rich leather, metal and wood trim. But it has a number of unique twists on the formula. Parts of the dash swing up and border the instrument display screen. The two-spoke steering wheel has a unique design, and the climate control panel isn't shared with any other Genesis models. The new G90 is packed with high-end features, too. The G90 is the first Genesis with an interior perfume system, not unlike some of the German flagships. Ambient lighting and a 23-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system can be enjoyed by everyone in the car, along with the active noise cancellation. Front occupants get massaging seats, and rear passengers get reclining ones. The right rear seat is called the "VIP" seat, as it also gets a power leg rest that even has heating and ventilation like the rest of the seat.  Driving-wise, it's available with rear-wheel steering, like other large luxury sedans such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. It has adaptive air suspension that uses a camera to watch the road and adjust stiffness for ride quality (again, like an S-Class). It adjusts ride height for different situations, too, and can even automatically rise on steep hills to prevent scraping at the end of a hill. Even the braking is adjustable, with different response settings such as a gentle "Chauffeur" mode. We suspect the car may have braking-by-wire. There are fancy features for accessing parts of the car. In addition to being able to use your phone as a key, there's a fingerprint scanner in the center console to grant access for starting the car. It will automatically load your driver settings with it, too. The doors have a power-closing functionality accessible via buttons in the interior, or pressing the exterior door handle when exiting. The front doors can close when the driver presses the brake pedal.

Genesis GV80 fastback and possibly GV90 leaked in design video

There have been long-circulating rumors that Genesis is developing a large, fastback luxury SUV based on the GV80. Slightly sportier and presumably more expensive, it would be Genesis' answer to vehicles like the BMW X6, Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe, and Audi Q8. However, we haven't seen any teasers to suggest that these rumors are true. Well, until an otherwise unremarkable design video released last week revealed, perhaps accidentally, its existence. The video focuses on the Genesis design team, especially the background of Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke. Design Operations Director Hans Lapine and Senior Exterior Designer Samir Sadikhov also make appearances, but it's a shelf behind Sadikhov that is of most interest. As Motor1 noticed, the display appears to reveal the fastback GV80 (we stubbornly refuse to call it a coupe unless it's part of the name) in the rightmost column of the third row from the top. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The design model looks similar to the GV80, which sits behind it on the same row, but is noticeably different from the A-pillars back. The rear profile drops down far earlier in the roofline, creating that cargo area-slicing angle luxury SUV customer apparently love so much. There also seems to be a small spoiler on both the trailing edge of the roof and beneath the rear glass. While that looks like the most production-ready offering, another never-before seen SUV appears in the bottom left corner of the shelf. Larger and boxier than the existing models, it could be the range-topping GV90. Genesis has already trademarked the name with both standard and electric variants, and rumors say it could be a Genesis-badged variant of the Hyundai Ioniq 7. One car whose reveal certainly wasn't accidental is a stunning shooting brake version of the equally breathtaking Genesis Concept X. Though it only appears as a design model, we desperately hope Genesis does build it — even if it's just a one-off concept or a model that never makes it to U.S. shores. Such beauty deserves to exist in the world. Throughout the video you'll see diecast versions of non-Genesis cars, from Bentleys to Lamborghinis. This is because Luc Donckerwolke led design at those brands before moving to Genesis. If the GV80 fastback and GV90 leaks weren't accidental, they were at least clever. Sadly, the video doesn't do much to describe the actual decisions behind Genesis design.

Genesis GV80 Prestige Signature will max out the luxury

Depending on the market, the Genesis GV80 midsize crossover can be had with seating for five, six, or seven people. The six-seater option launched late this summer in the automaker's home market of South Korea, the second-row bench in that model replaced by two captain's chairs ahead of a two-person third row. Genesis has confirmed to Roadshow that we're going to get a similar take, a luxurious GV80 flagship trim called Prestige Signature headed our way next year. Unlike the one on sale in South Korea, ours will omit the third row to max out at four occupants. Genesis wouldn't be drawn on any more details about the model, so we'll have to take the overseas version as our initial guide. In that one, a second-row center console with its own ambient lighting and wood trim that matches the instrument panel separates the second-row seating. The quilted-leather thrones are heated and ventilated, with passengers enjoying amenities like separate rear-seat entertainment systems, wireless device chargers, and separate HVAC controls. Based on the current trim steps, Genesis could start with the 3.5T AWD Prestige Advanced+ version for this new beast, and swap in a few features from the next trim down. According to the Genesis configurator, the Advanced+ has features like rear privacy glass and Smart Posture, but gets the third row, manual rear window shades, and sits on 20-inch wheels as standard fit. The trim below that, the 3.5T AWD Prestige, doesn't fit the third row, comes with power window shades, and sits on 22-inch wheels as standard. Mix it all up and the Prestige Signature is sure to bundle all the frills Genesis has to offer. Barring any new engines between now and launch, the model will be powered by the top-dog 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 with 375 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque. Since the 2022 GV80 Prestige starts at $73,245 after destination but before options like an exterior color other than white, it doesn't seem outrageous to think a chauffeur's special trim could trip the alarms at $80,000. If reports are true, it will hold the premier place for just one year; the battery-electric GV90 is anticipated to debut in 2023 at the head of the Genesis pack. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Next-gen Genesis G90 looks like the sleek, elegant flagship the brand needs

The Genesis G90 flagship sedan underwent a pretty major refresh only a few years ago, and now it's getting what seems to be a completely new generation. For now, Genesis is only showing the outside, but it looks very promising, especially in the context of the brand's other impressive offerings. On the whole, the car looks much lower and wider than the somewhat tall and stately current model. The nose looks longer, too. And speaking of the nose, it actually has a smaller (at least proportionally) main grille, which has two layers of mesh patterns. The headlights are truly split units and line up with the fender-mounted turn signals. Also noteworthy is the fact that the hood is a clamshell that stretches all the way to the grille, lights and wheels, minimizing cut lines. Down the sides, there's a significant amount of tumblehome, which further emphasizes the car's width, as do the pronounced wheel arches. The panels are very clean with subtle trim and lines that stretch from stem to stern. This look is complemented by the flush-fitting door handles. The tail has split taillights with large sections for additional lighting needs, and they meet up nicely with the cut lines for the fender. We sadly don't get to see inside the G90 yet, but it should be gorgeous based on other recent Genesis models. It will likely continue to use a twin-turbo V6 like the current one. It's possible the 5.0-liter V8 could still be offered, but that seems unlikely. Rear- and all-wheel drive should be on offer along with an eight-speed automatic transmission. More information on specs and interior design will come later. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.