Hyundai enters premium electric SUV game with new Genesis GV60

Published Aug 19, 2021

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SEOUL - The new Genesis GV60 has been revealed as Hyundai’s answer to the Mustang Mach-E, BMW iX3 and Tesla Model Y.

The fully-electric crossover SUV becomes the third fully-electric vehicle to be spawned from Hyundai’s new E-GMP modular EV platform, following the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5.

Technical details for the Genesis GV60 remain under wraps, but it is likely to offer both single-motor rear-wheel drive and dual-motor all-wheel drive configurations. According to Autocar, the latter AWD variants are likely to offer around 225kW.

Being based around E-GMP also means it should come with an 800V electrical architecture that allows for high-speed charging, from 10% to 80% in under 20 minutes.

The Genesis GV60 also ushers in a new EV design language for Hyundai’s premium brand, featuring a clamshell bonnet and no upper grille, as well as digital side mirrors that are connected to the camera and monitor system.

Moving inside, the main party trick is what Genesis refers to as the ‘Crystal Sphere’, which is a sphere-shaped shift-by-wire controller that intuitively informs drivers when the vehicle is ready to drive. When the vehicle is switched off, the Crystal Sphere becomes the vehicle’s mood lights and when it’s time to drive, it rotates and the shift-by-wire appears.

“The interior design of the GV60 takes on Genesis’ design ethos of the ‘Beauty of White Space,’ while seeking to create a spacious and comfortable interior,” Genesis said. “At the same time, it has embodied differentiated images with its floating architecture and unique details.”

As the Genesis brand is not offered in South Africa at present, it’s unlikely that we’ll see the Genesis GV60 in South Africa any time soon.