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Genesis designer Luc Donckerwolke talks new sedan, 'post-SUV' phase

Luc Donckerwolke's office at the Hyundai Research and Design center outside of Seoul looks like an Apple store, all polished concrete, metal and glass and a Miesian lack of ornamentation. This makes sense in an environment in which Donckerwolke, as head of design for the Hyundai and Genesis brands, is attempting to privilege transparency: enhancing communication and accessibility. "We have to break this kind of castle syndrome that the designers are in," Donckerwolke says. "It's all about opening up." This undermining of Korea's traditional orchestrated, hierarchical and executory structure is part of what has allowed Donckerwolke to create widely admired concepts such as the GV80 SUV and Essentia electric GT in just more than two years since he arrived from the VW Group leading design at Bentley, Lamborghini and Audi. And also to design the all-new G70 sport sedan that will be introduced to the U.S. market later this summer. We drove the G70 just before arriving for an exclusive one-on-one at Donckerwolke's R&D office, the first American journalists to visit. Although our time behind the wheel was brief, and we drove only the top-of-the-line, 365-horsepower, twin-turbocharged V6 version, we were impressed with the acceleration, the balance and the material quality. We also noted that the G70 is very good looking, with a distinctive, muscular and aggressive mien that feels true to the company's mission to be at once "Audacious, Progressive and Distinctly Korean." Like much of what we saw and experienced in contemporary Seoul, the car hosts a unique blend of influences from America, Europe and Asia while offering a harmony of line and a grounded sense of self that seems endemic to the peninsula. This global-but-flavored template is intentional. "We are not going to do Korean cartoons on wheels," Donckerwolke says. "We're not going to become a patriotic Korean movement. It's only about the essence of the Korean culture that we are using as an inspiration." One thing we could not help but notice is that the G70 is a sedan, joining a pair of older, Hyundai-based sedans, the G80 and G90, to complete the Genesis lineup. This feels somewhat inauspicious in the moment, especially for the American market where two-thirds of new-vehicle purchases are trucks and SUVs. "As you probably have seen when you've been driving around, sedans are extremely demanded here in Korea. And, you know, we have a huge market penetration here.

Genesis nabs top initial quality ranking from J.D. Power

Luxury nameplate Genesis has won the top spot in a new J.D. Power survey of overall initial quality, continuing an impressive string of third-party reviews for the two-year-old Hyundai spinoff brand as it prepares to launch its third model, another luxury sedan. Genesis ranked highest in J.D. Power's overall initial quality study with a score of 68 problems experienced per 100 vehicles during the first 90 days of ownership. The luxury brand's parent Hyundai Motor Group fared well, with Kia coming in second and Hyundai third. It was the first time that three Korean brands topped the J.D. Power study and the fourth straight year that Kia was the highest-ranked mass-market brand. (We should also point out that Autoblog has raised concerns with the way J.D. Power weighs reliability issues; this year's rankings, for example, put well-respected brands Subaru and Volvo in the bottom four of all car brands.) Earlier this, Genesis year also topped Consumer Reports' list of top 10 brand rankings based on road testing, reliability, safety and owner satisfaction scores. Elsewhere, both the 2018 Genesis G80 sedan and its flagship G90 four-door won a coveted Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also gives the G80 five-star reviews across the board in its own crash-test ratings, though it hasn't yet issued ratings for the G90. Despite these wins, the brand has stumbled in its rollout, and sales haven't exactly ignited. First, it said it would launch a limited, exclusive network of showrooms in a few dozen select markets and then reversing itself this spring by saying all existing Hyundai dealers would have the opportunity to sell the luxury brand. Meanwhile its U.S. sales in May fell 39 percent from May 2017 to 1,076 units. Year-to-date, Genesis had sold 8,288 cars, which is 18 fewer cars than it had moved from the same period in 2017. It will be hoping for a sales boost when it launches the G70 sports sedan this summer, the third of six new models Genesis plans to introduce by 2021 and the final sedan in the lineup. Related Video: Image Credit: Genesis Genesis Car Buying Luxury Sedan JD Power genesis g90 genesis g70 genesis g80

Genesis changes its mind on retail plans

Genesis will apparently open the doors to its nascent dealership network to all existing Hyundai dealers, reversing its earlier plan to launch a separate, much more limited retail network as a way to distinguish the brand. The brand's general manager, Erwin Raphael, told Hyundai's dealer council last week that Genesis would allow all Hyundai dealers the opportunity to sell the luxury brand in the U.S. That amounts to a 180 on plans announced in January, when the two-year-old spinoff said it planned to build out a network of about 100 Genesis retailers in around 48 mostly urban luxury markets, with first dibs on the franchises going to high-performing Hyundai dealers. The plan was to have separate branding, with the long-term goal of having them all operating out of standalone facilities after launching in temporary or shared showrooms. Per Automotive News, Genesis will no longer confine its sales to those 48 markets. All Hyundai dealerships will be able to apply to be licensed as Genesis dealers, though 2019 models will only be shipped to the newly franchised Genesis retailers. About 350 "elite" Hyundai dealerships that already sell the G80 and G90 sedans can continue to sell them, or take previously offered settlement money and move on. Those who become or remain Genesis dealers will have to sign new or separate franchise agreements that were expected to go out this week or next. Genesis will still require separate, standalone stores and service facilities. The news will likely please Hyundai dealers who have been frustrated or confused by Genesis's rollout strategy and are eager to play a role in the brand's growth. It also could provide a sales lift for Genesis, whose sales during the first four months of 2018 fell 17.5 percent to 5,390. They'll also be hoping for a boost when the compact G70 sedan launches this summer. Related Video:

2019 Genesis Essentia Concept | Insights on an elegant design

One of the biggest stunners of the New York Auto Show came from an unlikely stand — that of Genesis, Hyundai's nascent luxury spinoff. The Genesis Essentia Concept was described as a multi-motor EV with a 0-60 time of 3 seconds and enough silicon to pass the Turing test, but that's not what made it special. It stood out because it's downright gorgeous, a proper show car seemingly plucked from the golden age of pre-OPEC oil embargo dream machines. Genesis's press release claims the Essentia "elevates and reimagines the 'Athletic Elegance' design paradigm," which sounds like some hard-core marketing nonsense. There's a lot more to the car than what buzzwords can convey, though, so we tracked down its designers, Luc Donckerwolke and Sangyup Lee, to get their insights. Both men are Bentley veterans and know a thing or two about luxury brands. And, despite their insistence that a good luxury design should speak for itself, we made them talk about what makes the Essentia unique, how it will inform future Genesis road cars, and what Genesis DNA even means. Lee, vice president of Genesis design who previously worked at Porsche, Pininfarina, and GM where he designed the fifth-gen Camaro, started off with a dose of brutal honesty and a wry grin. "The world of premium cars can exist just fine without Genesis," he declared. As such, the designers were given a seemingly impossible task. How does one justify Genesis's existence in a luxury market crowded by Germans, Japanese, Americans, and Brits? The brand is just two and a half years old, and not only does it lack history, but even its country of origin is not typically associated with Old World richness. "When you see Burberry, you think London. When you see Chanel, you think Paris," Lee continued. "What comes to mind when you think Seoul?" Thus, the challenge became designing a car that not only defined Genesis, but an entire culture. "It's a luxury brand that is not aggressive or arrogant," explained Genesis design chief Donckerwolke, a Belgian who headed Lamborghini's design department and ushered in its angular era by penning the Murcielago. "It matches the Korean attitude of being humble and the country's reputation for high tech goods." Traditional Korean art and design also prizes minimalism. "There's a beauty of emptiness," Donckerwolke noted. "Koreans are expert in orchestrating white spaces and not overpowering with too much clutter." Lee offered a specific example. "Take calligraphy.

Genesis Essentia Concept embraces electric performance

Startup and established automakers alike have been waking up to — and embracing — the idea that electrification doesn't have to be just about efficiency. There's a huge performance potential for electric vehicles, a fact that Tesla has capitalized on, and other brands are following suit. Korean luxury car manufacturer Genesis is the latest to join the party with the unveiling of its Essentia grand touring EV concept at the New York Auto Show. It embodies the GT format well, with a long hood, a low, swoopy roofline and an upscale interior. The Essentia features a carbon fiber monocoque, with the chassis visible through the transparent hood. Aerodynamics heavily inform the look of the car, from the nose cone to the air curtains and the giant functional air outlets behind the front wheels. The car ends abruptly above a large rear diffuser. The copper color of the wheels is repeated in a strip surrounding the Essentia's glasshouse. Genesis includes thin, laser optical headlights that extend along the side of the car aft of the front wheels, with their double-line look repeated in the rear lighting. It tops off the visual package with butterfly doors that open via fingerprint and facial recognition sensors. View 17 Photos Inside, the Essentia's cockpit wraps around the occupants in a wide arc visually connecting the dash and doors. Genesis uses a mixture of different materials throughout, from chevron-patterned leather seats, layered carbon fiber on the dash and center console, and a widescreen display across the dash. There's also a digital instrument cluster for the driver, surrounded by piano black behind the flat-bottomed steering wheel. The all-electric Essentia features a "high-density battery pack" powering the multi-motor powertrain. The car departs from the usual under-floor battery pack, instead positioning it the center tunnel running between the seats. Being a concept car, precise technical details are scarce, but Genesis estimates a 0-60 mile-per-hour sprint of just 3 seconds. In terms of technology, Essentia previews the future of connected driving with vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure technology. This allows the car to keep the driver up to date with weather and traffic conditions. It can recommend routes not just on efficiency or speed, but also on driver preference based on machine learning. The car can also adapt functions like performance, seat position, audio and chassis settings to match the driver and the particular road.

2019 Genesis G70 will get manual transmission, EPA listings reveal

Ever since we learned that Genesis would have a manual transmission option available for the four-cylinder G70, we've been hoping that the company would confirm its availability for the U.S. And that time has finally come. It started when Car and Driver discovered the EPA listed a manual G70 and its fuel economy along with the rest of the model's line. We reached out to Genesis, and the company confirmed that the transmission is indeed going to be available in the U.S. It looks like it's only available in a rear-wheel-drive configuration, while automatic versions of both the four-cylinder and six-cylinder can be had with all-wheel-drive. We're fine with that, though. The manual also takes a hit in fuel economy. It gets just 18 mpg in the city, but 28 mpg on the highway and a combined rating of 22. The next-most-frugal model is the automatic four-cylinder with all-wheel-drive, which has the same highway rating, but city mpg increases to 21, and combined increases to 23. The best of the bunch is the automatic rear-drive four-cylinder that gets 30 mpg on the highway, 22 in the city, and 25 on the highway. At the other end is the twin-turbo V6 with all-wheel-drive, which rounds out the bottom with 18 mpg city, 25 highway, and 20 combined. Going with rear drive adds one mpg to highway and combined ratings. Still, even with the lower fuel economy, we're excited about the manual Genesis G70. We already love the way the G70 drives, as well as its platform-mate the Kia Stinger, so we can only imagine that adding a manual will make it more fun. It will also join a rarified group of small, manual sports sedans. Others with the configuration include the Cadillac ATS, Audi A4, BMW 3 Series. Here's hoping people will buy this car and convince Genesis to keep the transmission around, and maybe even convince Kia to offer it on the Stinger. Related Video:

Genesis creates 5 special G90s for the Academy Awards

With the Academy Awards coming up, Genesis created five specially appointed G90 sedans for the occasion. They each feature custom paintjobs and lavish interiors ranging from subtle to bold. They have some pretty wild names, too. The most striking of the group is "The Ruler." It features a silver over red metallic paint scheme, and its complemented by some of the most unique upholstery we've seen. It's a red-orange suede with a bunch of squiggly lines across it that Genesis says "is reminiscent of a designer's sketch." The "Stardust" G90 is pretty unassuming from the outside, with simple dark silver paint. But inside, it features upholstery with star-like shapes printed on it, as well as portions that are finished in black velvet. The ceiling really completes the star theme with little points of light shining through the fabric to simulate a starry sky Í– a trick we've seen previously in some Rolls-Royce models. The other three G90s are a little less unique, but they make up for it with odd names. The strangest is the G90 called "A Touch of Sensuality." It's a silver and brown two-tone car with a brown and tan interior. Close behind is "Refined Understatement," which has a matte white over metallic blue exterior and a black leather interior with silver piping. The last is "Emerald Dream" which is painted in a dark green and brown with a green leather interior. All of these Genesis sedans are one-offs. But we think it would be pretty cool if Genesis started a bespoke customization program, similar to Rolls-Royce's Bespoke Collection or McLaren's MSO program, that would permit more exotic and vibrant interiors and exteriors. These custom G90s turned out great, and bespoke paint and interiors would give the cars and the brand more credibility in the luxury space by letting wealthy customers create something truly unique and even more luxurious than the mass-produced versions. Related Video: Featured Gallery Vanity Fair Genesis G90s View 28 Photos Genesis Luxury Sedan genesis g90

Consumer Reports ranks Genesis its top brand, Chevy Bolt top green car

Hyundai's Genesis topped the annual ranking of new vehicle brands by influential U.S. magazine Consumer Reports, while General Motors' electric Chevrolet Bolt was named top pick for compact green car. Millions of prospective auto buyers consult the magazine's rankings, which are based on road testing, reliability, safety and owner satisfaction scores. The top 10 brand rankings (for the whole list, check out CR's website): 1. Genesis 2. Audi 3. BMW 4. Lexus 5. Porsche 6. Kia 7. Subaru 8. Tesla 9. Honda 10. Toyota Reliability, customer satisfaction, road-test performance and safety are components in Consumer Reports' rankings. CR points out that Genesis and Audi stand apart in that every model they offer is recommended by the magazine. (That said, Genesis currently has only two models.) Toyota had four of the top 10 individual vehicle picks on the list, the most of any automaker, with the Corolla, Camry, Highlander and Sienna taking honors. Toyota's vehicles had the top scores for predicted reliability. And in a year when both the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry are new, the Camry won CR's top spot among midsize sedans. Though both models are recommended. As for the Chevy Bolt, Reuters reported last week that some potential buyers of Tesla's long-delayed Model 3 sedan are concerned they will miss out on big federal tax breaks and are looking for alternatives like the Bolt. GM sold 23,297 Bolts in 2017. Tesla has told some holders of Model 3 reservations that they would not get their cars until 2019. Frustrated Tesla buyers, afraid that waiting could cost them a $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit, have factored into brisk demand for Bolts, according to GM dealers in California, the top U.S. market for electric vehicles. U.S. brands lagged other automakers in the CR rankings, but FCA's Chrysler brand ranked 11th — the biggest improvement of any brand, thanks to the Pacifica minivan. The automaker's Fiat unit finished last among 34 brands rated, with Ram 26th, Dodge 27th and Jeep in 33rd place. GM's top-selling Chevrolet brand ranked 23rd, while the Cadillac brand ranked 24th and GMC 28th. Ford ranked 20th and Lincoln 17th. The F-150 was named best pickup. The brands that saw the biggest drops were Buick, falling eight places to 19th, and Acura, falling six places to 22nd, because of declining reliability. Reporting by David ShepardsonRelated Video:

First Genesis SUV spied with Hyundai sheetmetal

Last year, we got our first look at the future of the Genesis brand's luxury crossover SUV future in the GV80 concept. Now we get our first look at what will likely end up being the production version of that concept. And despite its Hyundai Santa Fe Sport bodywork, there are a number of telltale signs that underneath it's a Genesis, as well as some reasons why this is probably the GV80 middle child and not the bigger or smaller crossovers Genesis also has planned. First let's address what makes this a Genesis, and the most clearcut sign is on the wheels where the brand's logo appears in the center caps. But that's not all. The other clear indicator is the crossover's stretched front end. There are several inches added to the fenders and the hood, and they push the front wheels farther forward than on the Santa Fe Sport. This significantly lengthens not just the nose but the amount of space between the base of the A-pillar and the wheels, a classic sign that the engine is mounted longitudinally to primarily power the rear wheels. And the only such vehicles from the Hyundai brand ( Kia Stinger excepted) are from Genesis. In the case of this particular prototype, we know it's all-wheel drive thanks to the info sheet in the window, but this layout suggests that it's a rear-biased system, and a plain rear-drive version might be available. That sheet of paper in the window reveals some other curious information. We can tell from it that this is all-wheel drive and has an automatic, and the "3.5" surely indicates the engine displacement. But there aren't any Genesis models currently using a 3.5-liter engine. The closest engines are a naturally aspirated 3.8-liter V6 and a twin-turbocharged 3.3-liter V6. Even looking at Hyundai's U.S. lineup, the only V6 in use is a naturally aspirated 3.3-liter unit. So it's possible this prototype is using a bigger version of one of the 3.3-liter engines, or perhaps a smaller version of the 3.8. As for the size, we're going off of that Santa Fe Sport sheetmetal. The Santa Fe Sport is the middle crossover from Hyundai, fitting between the three-row Santa Fe and the two-row compact Tucson. All of the extra length in this crossover is only in the engine compartment, so the interior space is still going to be about the same, and as such will probably be a midsize two-row for Genesis.

Tesla, Porsche and Genesis top Consumer Reports owner satisfaction survey

Tesla swept Consumer Reports' latest Ownership Satisfaction Survey results, notching the top spot among brands evaluated. Its Model S also netted the No. 1 spot among the top 10 most-satisfying cars. Porsche and Genesis, Hyundai's new luxury spinoff, rounded out the top three brands. The bottom of the rankings was anchored by Acura, while Mercedes-Benz notched the least-satisfying car in the survey with the GLA, proving that the results weren't equally kind to all luxury brands. Jake Fisher, director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports, told USA Today those brands suffered by introducing cheaper vehicles. The scores, on a 100-point scale, reflect whether owners say the vehicles from model years 2015 through 2018 met their expectations and whether they would buy the same car again. They measure ratings in six categories: driving experience, comfort, value, styling, audio and climate systems (what, no cupholders?). Effectively, it gauges how much people liked the car they bought. Reliability is not considered. The Honda Ridgeline outscored competitors in the compact pickup segment by a wide margin, while the Ford F-350 was among the top 10-ranked vehicles in the survey, the first time in at least five years that a pickup made it into the top 10, Consumer Reports said. In the brand survey, Chrysler rose four places to No. 4 on strong customer satisfaction with the Pacifica minivan, while Hyundai tumbled 11 spots to No. 24 and Lexus fell eight places to 18th. Rounding out the top 10 most satisfying cars were the Porsche 911, Chevrolet Corvette, Lincoln Continental, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Toyota Prius, Tesla Model X SUV, Honda Odyssey minivan and Dodge Challenger. Not surprisingly, most of those cars, and indeed most of the high-ranking brands, are those with strong brand loyalty, fan-like followings and/or those that strike a strong emotional chord with buyers. The full brand rankings are below. Tesla (90) Porsche (85) Genesis (81) Chrysler (78) Audi (76) Mazda (76) Subaru (76) Toyota (76) Honda (75) Lincoln (75) Mini (73) Ram (73) Kia (72) Chevrolet (72) BMW (72) GMC (72) Ford (70) Lexus (70) Volvo (69) Dodge (68) Jeep (68) Mercedes-Benz (67) Volkswagen (67) Hyundai (67) Buick (66) Cadillac (64) Infiniti (60) Mitsubishi (58) Nissan (58) Acura (58) Related Video: Green Genesis Porsche Tesla Ownership satisfaction