Genesis Previews Sleek GV80, A Proper Korean Luxury SUV

New images have been released showing the all-new Genesis GV80. Though labelled as teaser shots, these are uncommonly revealing of the final car’s design and proportions, which unsurprisingly bear a strong resemblance to the GV80 Fuel Cell Concept unveiled at the 2017 New York Motor Show. 

Genesis has been slowly working toward the reveal and launch of their first-ever SUV, the GV80. This milestone is particularly eventful for the South Korean premium automaker given its slowly rising prominence with saloon cars like the G80 as well as the smaller and sportier G70, respective class rivals for cars like the BMW 5 Series and 3 Series. 

As Hyundai’s luxury offshoot, the marque’s ambitions have grown with each passing year, and despite their market foothold extending to only a relatively few international markets, this GV80 is being positioned to be the vessel with which it breaches new shores. 

The SUV’s styling remains as sleek as the concept car with a swept back cabin glasshouse and a rounded front end profile. Speaking of which, the quad position headlights seem to be defined by its dual slit daytime running lights, a theme that’s carried over to the faux side fender vents and tail lights as well. 

These exterior photos are monochrome (or just heavily desaturated) so we cannot speak to the colours offered (unless that also happens to be dark silver), but we do spy large 5-spoke wheels finished in chrome, which must be selling points that appeal to the North American buyer. The automaker themselves define the GV80’s visual philosophy as Athletic Elegance, an ethos shared with other cars in its portfolio. 

Unexpectedly, Genesis also provided a photo of the GV80’s interior, which follows a minimal design throughout, punctuated by diamond-pattern quilted leather seats, dark mocha leather on the dashboard, a digitally augmented HVAC control stack, rotary gear selector, two-spoke steering wheel, and a rather wide aspect ratio infotainment screen. 

There’s also an Audi-esque air curtain integrated along the dash which should, in theory, be able to distribute a much larger volume of cooled or heated air throughout the cabin without using high fan speeds. 

“Over the last four years, Genesis has established itself as a respected luxury brand with superior vehicle quality and a line-up of class-leading sedans with charismatic and discriminating style,” said William Lee, Executive Vice President and Global Head of the Genesis Brand. “With the launch of GV80, Genesis will elevate expectations for excellence within the luxury SUV market.”

Knowing how the Hyundai Motor Group uses a core selection of engines, we expect to see the 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 make yet another appearance. In addition to powering the range-topping Stinger, this same Lambda II motor also features in variants of the G80 and the G70. 

Genesis says that the production version GV80 will launch imminently with its home market of South Korea to receive units ready for sale within January with other markets such as Australia to follow later in the year.