Genesis GV80 SUV officially revealed

Budding luxury car brand Genesis has revealed official images of its new GV80 large SUV, confirming the brand's bold new SUV will go on sale this month in Korea.

With full details to be divulged over the next couple of weeks, global sales of the new Genesis GV80 will ramp up across 2020, as the new model is expected to establish itself as the brand's top-seller – at least until the smaller GV60 SUV arrives.

Not unlike the design language employed by Japanese rival Lexus, the Genesis GV80 features an oversized grille, the latest take on the car brand's 'crest grille' design.

Flanked by unique headlight and brake light designs dubbed 'quad lamps' the brand is hoping to succeed where others – namely Nissan's luxury brand Infiniti – have failed.

The market will ultimately decide whether the design is a success or not, and pricing will be an important factor as well.

"The Quad Lamp, our design signature, introduces an unmistakable visual impression completely unique to Genesis," explained Sang Yup Lee, head of design at Genesis.

It's also clear that the production vehicle doesn't betray the GV80 Concept SUV's design, which was revealed in 2017. The high-tech door cameras and flush-fit handles are gone but the overall silhouette is faithful to the concept.

Former Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini design chief, Luc Donckerwolke, who is now the chief design officer at Hyundai Motor Group (the parent company of Genesis), said the Genesis GV80 "…allows us to expand our definition of Athletic Elegance design language to a new typology, while retaining sublime proportionality and sophistication of form."

The sole interior image released by Genesis reveals a next-gen interior design with no visual links to Hyundai cars, which have been criticised as softening the luxury positioning of previous models.

Instead, the GV80 features a very conservative interior style, its pared-back dashboard design and control clusters topped by an ultra-wide LCD multimedia screen. The latter is paired with two other digital screens – the instrument cluster and a touchscreen for the climate controls.

It also features timber inlays and quilted leather upholstery with what appears to be LED mood lighting.

Genesis execs previously said the GV80 would arrive in Australia in late 2019 at the brand's only Aussie 'studio' at the Pitt Street Mall in Sydney.

As it stands, the Genesis says the GV80 will arrive in Australia sometime in 2020.

The Korean brand favours the shopping mall-based Tesla-style studios to traditional dealerships and reckons Brisbane and Melbourne studios will be next, with plans for around 10 Genesis studios dotted around Australia's major population centres in due course.

Featuring pared-back, minimalist design cues inside and out, the new model is vital for Genesis.

As the brand's first SUV, pitched as a rival for the likes of the BMW X5 and Lexus RX, it must make an impact with buyers if the brand wants to be taken seriously.

Genesis has not yet confirmed the mechanical nitty-gritty of the GV80 but we do know it will be based on the same rear-drive platform as the next-gen G80 due in 2020.

It will also be available as a two-row (five-seat) or three-row (seven-seat) vehicle, in either rear- or all-wheel drive configurations.

The same 3.3-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 from the Genesis G70, which kicks out a very competitive 272kW and 510Nm of torque, is almost certain to be offered in the GV80 SUV.

Hooked up to an eight-speed automatic it would rival the $121,000 BMW X5 xDrive 40i, whose 3.0-litre turbo inline six generates similar power (250kW/450Nm).

Hybrid models will be rolled out down the track and there's even the potential for a turbo-diesel powertrain the Genesis GV80.

The upstart Korean luxury brand will be gunning for vehicles like the Volvo XC90, Audi Q7 and Mercedes-Benz GLE thanks to a range of high-tech and luxury features, expected to include heated and cooled massaging front seats, semi-autonomous driver aids, adaptive suspension and phone-based remote functionality.