Hyundai wants to build 21,000 Genesis GV90 per year

According to The Korea Economic Daily, Hyundai Motor Company (HMC), which manages HMG’s core (Hyundai) and luxury-focused Genesis brands, recently sent a request for quotation (RFQ) to auto suppliers with plans for EVs based on the eM platform. These models included the Genesis GV90, the company’s planned luxury SUV that will compete with the Mercedes EQS SUV. The eM platform will eventually be HMG’s next-gen dedicated EV platform and replace its Electronic Global Modular Platform (E-GMP).

The RFQ form HMC sent to auto suppliers stated 21,000 units as the expected annual production volume of the Genesis GV90. For reference, the Mercedes EQS SUV and Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV together recorded 18,500 units in annual sales in 2023. For a brand like Genesis that’s not present in nearly as many markets as Mercedes-Benz and doesn’t hold a legacy, that’s quite an ambitious target. It seems HMC wants the ultimate EV from South Korea to outsell the Mercedes EQS SUV, and if that does happen, that could be a major milestone for the country’s auto industry.

The Genesis Neolun is a 5.25-metre-long concept, and its production version will likely be just as long. Unlike many automakers, HMG brands do not display innovative features on their concept cars to merely grab headlines these days. The radical design of the Hyundai 45 and Hyundai Prologue concepts pretty much remained intact in their production versions, which are the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Hyundai Ioniq 6, respectively. The Kia EV9 Concept’s swivelling first-row seats made it into its road-ready version – the Kia EV9.

The report says that, like the Genesis Neolun concept, the Genesis GV90 will feature B-pillarless coach doors, which will give it a theatrical and majestic look. However, according to an exclusive article that Money Today published in September 2023, this feature will only be available on a special edition trim limited to a few hundred units and scheduled to arrive three months after the launch.

The eM platform will allow a higher structural rigidity compared to E-GMP, so it will be possible to create a large SUV without a B-pillar. HMC will be able to develop eM platform-based EVs with a lightweight yet very rigid body by applying an integrated casting method using special alloys for core components of the vehicle structure, a representative of a partner company of HMC explained.

HMC plans to transition from the current cell-to-module structure to a cell-to-pack approach by 2025. The company will likely debut its first module-less battery pack in the Genesis GV90. After Electronic Times broke a story in June 2023 that HMG has finalized a 113.2 kWh battery pack for the eM platform-based Kia K8 successor and aims to achieve a range of up to 700-800 km with it, rumours have surfaced that the Genesis GV90 will have the same battery pack.

Production of the Genesis GV90 will take place at HMC’s upcoming dedicated EV plant in Ulsan, South Korea. The company has only said that a Genesis electric SUV will be this factory’s first model, but according to a report Korea JoongAng Daily , that EV will be none other than the Genesis GV90. According to Money Today, the new flagship Genesis EV will be available in Europe from in April 2026.

The Korea Economic Daily’s report states December 2025 as the Genesis GV90’s start of production (SOP) date. However, a more recent story from Electronic Times says that HMC has postponed the SOP to Q1 2026 (January-March 2026) because of the slowdown in EV demand globally. On a side note, the same report also states that the eM platform-based Kia K8 successor has been cancelled because of a lack of business feasibility.

hankyung.com, koreajoongangdaily.joins.com, etnews.com (all in Korean)