No ‘Russian doll’ syndrome for Genesis GV70

Hyundai’s luxury division has just launched its first SUV, the Genesis GV80, but the company is already in the final stages of its follow-up model, the smaller Genesis GV70.

And the all-new, mid-size SUV’s familial resemblance to the big GV80 will be more along the lines of kissing cousins than siblings, says the executive vice-president for design at Genesis, Luc Donkerwolke.

“You will not see a scaled-down version of the GV80 or apply the same design to other things,” Donkerwolke told journalists in Korea for the launch of the new Genesis GV80, which will rival large luxury SUVs like the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE.

“There will be a consistency, but we will not play ‘the Russian dolls’.”

Donkerwolke would not be drawn further on the subject of the smaller GV70, which is expected to begin reaching global markets in about 18 months, when it will become Genesis’ answer to the top-selling Mercedes-Benz GLC, Audi Q5 and BMW X3.

Further afield, Genesis is expected to produce a smaller-still compact SUV dubbed the GV60, to rival the Audi Q3, BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA.

Previously, we’ve referred to the mid-size Genesis SUV as the GV60 and applied the GV70 name to a ‘coupe’ styled SUV to slot between the GV60 and GV80 and compete with the BMW X4 and Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe.

However, that now appears less likely than Genesis’ answer to volume selling mid-size premium SUVs adopting the GV70 name, which is consistent with the mid-size G70 sedan on which it’s based, just as the GV80 is based on the next-generation G80 sedan’s platform.

Either way, maintaining a common design theme without falling into the trap of making large cars indistinguishable from their smaller counterparts has clearly preyed on Donkerwolke’s mind.

While the ‘cookie cutter’ school of design has been good for building a brand – and that’s of particular relevance to a new brand like Genesis – there’ll be some erosion of goodwill from customers if their GV80 is being mistaken on the streets for the smaller (and cheaper) GV70, when that vehicle arrives in the market.

Donkerwolke says that setting carefully balanced design parameters for the GV80 has been essential. At a detail level it begins with the company’s new ‘two lines’ theme, but it also extends to overall proportions.

The optional 22-inch wheels fill out the guards properly, for instance, and the GV80 was designed from the start to accommodate an inline six-cylinder diesel.

That has had some effect on dash to axle ratio, but the designers have managed to incorporate that engineering-imposed limitation without the GV80 becoming a misshapen block.

“What was important from the very beginning of the project... was to work first, really hard, on the proportions,” he said.

“That was basically this rear-wheel drive architecture creating a long bonnet, by having a big ‘dash-to-axle’ [ratio], really short front overhang – and that was already [pushing] the cabin backwards...

“Once you have that right, you have to do less with the styling elements.”

Donkerwolke, who owns an early Range Rover, was happy to reveal to carsales that as much as he admires the British brand, it had little if any influence on the design of the GV80.

“I have a 1972 Range Rover – two-door – and I would certainly not look at Range Rover when I’m doing a Genesis or something like that, because otherwise I would end up copying them,” he explained.

“It was clear for us; we don’t want to do something like that. With all the respect I have [for the Range Rover brand] – and I love them – but we definitely wanted to do something special.”