Genesis boss: UK will be 'main target' in 2020 European launch

[YEH]

Genesis boss: UK will be 'main target' in 2020 European launch | Autocar

Hyundai’s luxury brand will hit Britain in 2020 with saloons and SUVs

by Rachel Burgess
18 May 2018

...Former Lamborghini brand and design boss Fitzgerald said: “We’ll be entering the European market in the next couple of years. That said, in that market, we’ll be focusing on the UK. We’re definitely building right- hand-drive cars for 2020.”

Genesis’s line-up is currently spearheaded by three saloons, but two SUVs – a BMW X5 rival called the GV80 and a Jaguar E-Pace competitor named the GV70 – will arrive in 2020. Given the still-growing demand for SUVs, the GV80 and GV70 will be crucial in making a dent in the European market, but Fitzgerald said it will launch its entire range here.

“To launch the brand, you come with your entire product portfolio,” he said. “It’s not about volume. If it were, then you would go for a specific body type. Instead, it’s a brand- building exercise.”

Genesis will launch its first electric model by 2021 but it will not be a production version of the recently revealed electric Essentia GT concept. Although Fitzgerald said the Essentia GT is likely to make production in 2021 or 2022, it is not yet confirmed. The first zero- emissions Genesis is instead expected to be the G80, the launch of the next-generation saloon set to coincide with that of an electric variant.

Despite reports of plug- in hybrid versions of the GV70 and GV80, Fitzgerald is unconvinced by such technology. “I’m not so sold on plug-in hybrid,” he said. “They have a lot of issues and we’re still looking at all options. Internal combustion engines or pure electric are our favourite options.”

What the Genesis line-up will look like by 2022:

G90: The Mercedes-Benz S-Class rival is Genesis’s flagship model. A facelifted version is due next year before an all-new model arrives in 2022.

G80: Once upon a time called the Hyundai Genesis, this BMW 5 Series rival is the brand’s top-seller and expected to be the first Genesis to get an electric variant in 2021.

G70: Revealed late last year, the G70 is the newest model in the line-up. The Jaguar XE rival will be crucial to growing sales for Genesis as the cheapest car in the range.

GV80: Due in 2020, it was previewed as a concept last year. A future foe of the BMW X5, it will be offered in petrol and diesel guises but with scope for electrified variants.

GV70: Also due in 2020, Genesis’s smaller SUV has the potential to become its bestseller worldwide. The BMW X3 adversary echoes the GV80’s powertrain line-up.

Essentia: A production version of the electric Essentia GT could arrive by 2022 and be a halo model as Genesis looks to establish itself as a credible luxury brand.

This article doesn't really relay any new info., but does further confirm the timeline of launches (not clear if the timeline is for the Korean launch or the UK launch, but figure the Korean launch to be 4-6 months before the UK launch).

However, does omit the entry level coupe - GT70(?) and the smaller GV60 CUV; so in reality, Genesis UK won't be launching w/ the full (core) Genesis lineup.

Interesting that this article states that there will be a BEV variant of the next gen G80 (so figure this another reason for the delay in the CUVs, as the new platform not only has to lose weight, but also be engineered to fit a BEV powertrain).

Am a bit puzzled by this as other reports have stated that Genesis has in development 2 BEV platforms and trying to get a platform to do both ICE and BEV duty (as well as sedan and CUV-duty) usually results in too many compromises.

If the platform underpinning the new G80 can incorporate a BEV powertrain, then why the need for 2 separate BEV-specific platforms?

As for the whole BEV-thing, think it'll be a little more while before BEVs hit the maintstream (even in Europe as BEV sales heavily rely on govt. subsidies).

The one exception would be the China market as the govt. is really pushing BEVs, but we know how relying in the China market can be for automakers, esp. ones which have to deal w/ the political fall-out.

Diesels are on the way out (unless there is a major advancement in making them cleaner w/o increasing cost too much), and PHEVs add too much in cost (plus having to constantly lug around a heavy battery) so at least for the nearer-term, see hybrids (including 48V mild hybrids) as the way to go.

Would eventually like to see Genesis add the GV90 to its CUV lineup, as well as adding 2 BEV-only CUVs.