“great feedback”
GENESIS WILL LAUNCH a raft of high-performance electric vehicles, with quicker versions of its cars in development, as the brand bids to establish itself as a rival for Audi, BMW and Mercedes – and potentially further underlining the production potential of its trio of X concepts.
Confirming that Genesis will pursue the development of high-powered electric cars, Mark Choi, head of product planning, said: “As a group [Hyundai], we are looking at the most efficient ways of developing electric cars as we approach the new era, but at Genesis it is clear that we want to be differentiated. We can’t just carry over from our sister brands.
“We want to separate ourselves on the more high-performance side. We are not keen on a high-performance sub-brand or anything like that but we do talk about developing ‘effortless’ powertrains – enough power to be enjoyable in all circumstances, and which satisfies the luxury experience.”
Highlighting the striking X Coupé, Convertible and Speedium family of concepts, and their potential for being made, Choi added: “We’ve had great feedback, and we’re looking into it. The next steps are to decide if it’s first possible and then feasible.”
Talking about the feasibility of the concept cars making production, head of design SangYup Lee, who spoke of his desire to launch a halo coupé, said: “The flush shapes we want for the cars are not easy to make in production, especially around the A- and B-pillar. These are challenging engineering details that need to be perfected before we can proceed.”
Genesis has committed to launch only new EVs from 2025, creating a line-up of at least six cars thereafter. However, it will continue to offer existing combustion-engined cars from that point, phasing them out only according to differing local regulations up until 2030, when it will be fully electric. It has pledged to be carbon neutral as a firm by 2035.
GENESIS EYES BIG LIMO FOR EUROPE
The European sales potential of Genesis’s flagship G90, a Mercedes S-Class rival, is being evaluated, although the cost of converting it for right-hand drive makes it unlikely for the UK.
The sec
