All-electric Genesis eG80 caught in new spy photos

Spies have caught what appears to be an electrified variant of the new Genesis G80 luxury sedan testing at the Nurburgring. Hyundai's luxury subsidiary has been hard at work re-inventing itself, and it appears a midsize EV dubbed "eG80" is the brand's next step. 

We don't have any serious hints as to what is going on under this prototype's sheetmetal, but our spies said there was no engine noise, which is our first clue. The remaining indicators are visual — the absence of any exhaust outlets (or a lower rear bumper cover that would eventually accommodate finishers), the solid grille and the lack of a visible cut-out for a gas cap. 

The last item there could go either way, as there also doesn't appear to be a cut-out for a charging port, but there appear to be some electrical tape shenanigans going on there on the driver's side front fender, which may be keeping a flap of vinyl in place to disguise the door covering the receptacle. Our spies also note that the bumper designs appear to be unique to this variant. 

Genesis is also expected to get a variant of the small Hyundai 45 electric crossover. In fact, this eG80 prototype is likely running a dual-motor version of the 45's powertrain, which is itself expected to be adapted from the 201-horsepower system utilized in the Hyundai Kona Electric.

Genesis has stepped things up in terms of its interior quality and technology The huge, standard 14.5-inch touchscreen with iPod-like secondary controller stands out in particular for being feature-rich and user-friendly, which is a rarity in luxury cars. There's also tons of space in the comfy back seat, which is a big part of buying a big luxury sedan like the G80. The eG80 should further cement the big sedan's role in the future of Genesis.

While Genesis has been hard at work developing crossovers in order to stay competitive, the company appears to remain committed to sedans. It's even one of the few that still offers a manual transmission in its entry-level G70 model, though that option is not long for this world. 

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By Byron Hurd