November 27, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Motor gave media a peek at its luxury marque Genesis’ all-new sports sedan G70, with plans to release the car in the US early next year.

“We are planning to launch Genesis G70 in the North American market sometime early next year,” said Hwang Chung-yul, senior vice president at the Genesis Project Management Center, at a media preview held in Seoul on Sept. 1. “We will gradually roll out the car in other regions.”

Prior to G70 global debut slated for Sept. 15, Hyundai unveiled the model for the first time to the reporters, as well as introduced some key features.

The new sports sedan comes in a 3.3-liter gasoline turbo engine and a 2.0-liter gasoline turbo engine, as well as a 2.2-liter diesel engine -- the first diesel offering for the Genesis lineup. The carmaker is mulling to add diesel options for other Genesis cars, such as G80 midsize sedan.

The 3.3-liter gasoline version, named “G70 Sports,” boasts a 0-100 kph dash time of 4.7 seconds, faster than Kia’s new sports sedan Stinger at 4.9 seconds. 

Teaser image of Genesis G70/Hyundai Motor Group

Another noticeable feature for the new G70 is server-based speech recognition technology, using Kakao’s AI platform for navigation. It is armed with upgraded active safety features, including highway driving assist, driver attention warning and blind-spot collision warning, among others, and equipped with nine airbags.

The new G70 also previews new design themes the carmaker plans to display in future Genesis models. Dubbed “athletic elegance,” the car features very sporty proportion, with the overall shape highlighted by a long hood, short front overhang and elegant roofline.

The price of the standard 2.0-liter gasoline model is ranged from 37.5 million won ($33,426) to 40.5 million won, while diesel 2.2-liter is priced at 40.8 million won to 43.7 million won. The top-of-the-line 3.3-liter turbo is set from 44.9 million won to 52.3 million won.

G70 is the third and smallest model in the Genesis lineup made of G80 and bigger G90. The rear-drive sedan, set to compete against the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and BMW 3 Series, is tasked with building the brand image of Genesis as high-end cars in the global market.

Hyundai is planning to roll out the Genesis nameplates in Europe and China, the world’s largest auto market, but it will take some time, according to a company official.

“We will definitely go to Europe at some point, but cannot reveal the exact launching period,” Hwang told The Investor. “We are preparing to set up a dealership network and system in the region,” he said.

The carmaker has been stressing it will launch Genesis brand in China as well. But at this time, the exact debut period is also undecided.

Genesis, which became a standalone brand after leaving the Hyundai umbrella in 2016, currently sells cars in Korea, the US, Middle East, Russia and Canada.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)