Genesis GV60 electric SUV revealed

Hyundai’s luxury brand has revealed its “most athletic model yet” – and the all-new Genesis GV60 also happens to be all-electric.

Far more than a ‘coupe’ version of the new Genesis GV70 medium SUV, the Genesis GV60 is the first EV from the Korean premium brand to be based on the company’s dedicated E-GMP platform.

The GV60 is the brand’s second EV after the G80 Electric and both Genesis EVs are headed to Australia in early 2022.

A third EV from Genesis – tipped to be the GV70 Electric – is expected to arrive in the brand’s unorthodox retail ‘gallery’ showrooms next year as well.

Showing off a sporty new coupe-like design with a striking front-end design and a sloping rear-end complete with a prominent spoiler, the GV60 waves goodbye to conventional door mirrors and replaces them with small cameras to improve aerodynamics – like the Audi e-tron.

The interior design borrows elements from the GV70 with a circular motif, but gets an all-in-one digital instrument cluster and large central touch-screen. But it has a higher-tech look thanks to the side-view screens tucked into the doors and the fitment of an interactive ‘Crystal Sphere’ gear shifter.

According to Genesis, crystal shifter “intuitively informs drivers when the vehicle is ready to drive,” by rotating and glowing different colours.

The new Genesis GV60 is claimed to offer high levels of cabin space for all occupants thanks to a flat floor, which is made possible via its bespoke EV architecture.

Genesis has not confirmed dimensions, tech specs or performance levels yet, revealing only interior and exterior images. But given it’s based on the same platform as the IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6 – also both coming to Oz soon – it’s likely to get a dual-motor set-up with around 239kW and 605Nm of torque.

Acceleration could be super-quick – with a 0-100km/h sprint time as low as 3.5 seconds, like the Kia EV6 GT. A top speed of up to 260km/h is also on the cards.

There are two battery pack options revealed thus far for the Genesis GV60’s sister vehicles – 58kWh and a bigger 72.6kWh unit good for a cruising range of around 500km.

Charging times should also be rapid given the right infrastructure, with the E-GMP platform supporting 800V systems and talk of a five-minute charge on a 350kW fast-charger providing 100km of extra range.

Genesis is making a wholesale shift to EVs and, unlike rival brands such as BMW, it’s unlikely we’ll see combustion engines powering its performance models, with electric motors rather than V8s expected to provide driving thrills for its hottest models.