Genesis to launch with two models

A two-car attack will launch Genesis as a standalone premium brand in Australia in November.

The flagship Genesis G80 large sedan will be rolled out alongside the mid-size G70 sports sedan as the South Korean luxury brand goes for maximum impact.

The move will return the G80 to Australian showrooms after an 18-month absence, but this time it will be a genuine Genesis rather than an upscale Hyundai.

Genesis G80 Sport revealed

After months of delays Genesis Australia general manager Peter Evans this week confirmed the Hyundai premium brand’s local launch in November, via stand-alone retailers in shopping and city centre outlets.

Now, confirmation of the two-car Genesis plan ends speculation about the future of the G80, which Hyundai previously said would follow the G70 on sale in early to mid-2019.

“The cars were ready. We were not ready. You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” Evans told motoring.com.au.

“We’re not technically late with the G80. There was no planned timing.

“The car has been available for a while, but it’s been more about developing a fully-costed business plan for the launch. It was a bit of a case of ‘If you build it, they will come’.

Genesis G70 Review

“I don’t feel like we’re lagging. Our launch is about a new business model and new sales channel. I don’t feel like we’re the poor relations or the poor cousins.”

Evans has been hamstrung until this week on Genesis details, and still refuses to comment about the two Genesis SUVs that are coming from 2020, including the five-seat GV70 mid-sizer and the seven-seat GV80 large SUV.

He is more open about the two-car launch plan, and details on the G80, which will be a direct rival for the Lexus GS and BMW 5 Series.

“The car has made a significant leap forward. There is more changed under the skin than the skin itself,” he says.

While the standard Genesis G80 sedan will be powered by a carryover 232kW/397Nm 3.8-litre V6, the G80 Sport packs the more powerful 272kW/510Nm 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 from the Kia Stinger and Genesis G70, which will also be offered with a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine.

Also available in the US with Hyundai’s 5.0-litre ‘Tau’ V8, the G80 Sport will come with 19-inch alloy wheels, more aggressive front/rear bumpers, mesh grille, sports seats and carbon-fibre instead of wood interior highlights.

“It's a combination of a facelift and revised model line-up and specifications. Clearly we have the Sports model and the comfort version. [But] This is not the time to talk about detailed specifications.”

Evans says the G80, which was previously sold here as the Hyundai Genesis, is much more than just an upscale taxi despite the biggest customer group for the original car coming from hire car owners.

He admits the working-car appeal of the G80 but predicts a bigger buyer base with some separation on timing and the Hyundai connection of the past.

“The last cars we ordered were in December 2016 and we ran out of stock around September last year, including selling a whole bunch to WA as police cars -- for highway patrol. We were kind of flattered by that.”

In the case of the G70 – a direct rival for the Lexus IS and BMW 3 Series sedans -- Evans says Australia will be one of the first export markets to take the all-new mid-size luxury sedan. Even though it’s been available in Korea since October last year, it’s only just being launched in the USA.

Evens wouldn’t go into specific details about models, but the one-time Toyota and Lexus Australia executive says the Genesis model roll-out will be aggressive and feature mainstream models with solid sales potential.

He said Genesis would not launch with a top-down approach like Lexus, and the brand’s flagship G90 limousine will not be available here.

“One of the learnings from our friendly competitor Lexus was they took a long time to roll out a complete model range. It was slow and painful,” Evans says.

“Starting with the LS400 was not an easy strategy. We don’t want to repeat that. We want a representative model line-up in a shorter space of time.

“I cannot help but absorb my previous experience, but it’s not my only area of expertise. We’re students of the car industry and there are lessons from Lexus, Jaguar, Volvo and Infiniti, and even the way the three Germans are constrained.

“One of the few advantages of being a small start-up brand is that we have the ability to customise the customer experience and embed that as we move forward.”