Genesis planning EV assault from next year

An electric-powered wave will sweep through Genesis from next year, when the first of eight new EVs will replace combustion power in the South Korean luxury brand’s model line-up.

Genesis design chief Luc Donkerwolke confirmed the switch to electric power during a recent presentation to German Car of the Year judges near Frankfurt.

During a walkround of the recently revealed Genesis X Speedium Coupe concept car, Donkerwolke said the 2+2-seat electric coupe was a precursor for the design freedom he would give the brand for its EV surge.

The Hyundai group premium brand’s first dedicated EV in Australia will be the Genesis GV60 small SUV in September, following this month’s release of the Genesis Electrified G80 electric sedan.

But Donkerwolke said that, starting next year, an EV will join the line-up every time Genesis replaces an existing model, culminating in 2030.

“We are starting next year with the EV rollout, and every existing model will be replaced with a EV, and we may introduce one or two new models,” Donkerwolke said.

“We will have eight new models, with a long dash-to-axle ratio. Starting in 2023, and all EVs. They will begin rolling out from there and we will become a full EV maker,” he said.

The veteran designer, who is credited with the Lamborghini Gallardo and who has penned cars for Volkswagen, Lamborghini, Seat, Bentley and others in a long career, hinted that an EV sports car might be in Genesis’ future.

While Genesis has shown the Speedium concept, it has no production sports car, and the World Car of the Year Awards’ 2021 Person of the Year is pushing internally for one, even if only to keep his designers sharp.

Donkerwolke blamed SUVs for making designers lazy and eroding their ability to arm-wrestle engineers for production designs.

“I do believe we need to have different types of vehicles in the market, and we need SUVs in the market today, but I do believe we have to make sure we fit into finding the right proportions.

“The SUV doesn’t challenge any designer to fight for the last millimetre to get the right proportions for design. It’s too easy to make an SUV. It’s about a strong attitude, but you don’t have to fight for every millimetre.

“We work hard for proportions all the time and this is the essence of being a car designer and I need my designers to work on other types of cars, like sports cars, to learn this lesson.

“Because this is how you get your laurels of being a good designer, by fighting for every millimetre and working with your engineers to find ways to compromise to get the A pillar in the right place, to orchestrate the masses and the muscles above the wheels... this is the essence of a car designer.”

There won’t be a Volkswagen Group-style sacrificing of traditional proportions to create the Genesis EV range, either, he said.

“You still need to fight for proportions with a EV. Of course you do,” Donkerwolke insisted.

“You can push the A-pillar backwards if you move the HVAC and other components under the bonnet.

“We rearranged the components to liberate the cockpit from those components, to give people a shorter dash and more interior space.”

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