Genesis hits the brakes en route to electric mobility

Hyundai brand Genesis is moving away from earlier plans to only launch all-electric models from 2025, saying it will focus on hybrids first. Meanwhile, the automaker is working on a new architecture for electric vehicles.

Genesis CEO Mike Song told media that “customers now want hybrid more than EV, so we really want to bring Genesis hybrid into the market as soon as possible.” And more importantly, he added: “We will apply it to as many models as possible.”

So, it seems that we will see a lot of Genesis models with hybrid drives in the near future. Whether these will be plug-in hybrids or full hybrids is not clear. British portal Top Gear speculates that Genesis could borrow powertrains from Hyundai “given the rather rapid nature of their uptake.”

What is clear is that Genesis is straying far off the path when it comes to its goal to only launch all-electric vehicles from 2025. By 2030, the carmaker wanted to “become a 100 per cent zero-emission vehicle brand.” That goal, too, moves further into the distance.

However, Genesis is not abandoning its electric ambitions. The carmaker is working on a new dedicated EV architecture. Unfortunately, there are no further details at this point. There have been rumours that Genesis is interested in sourcing Lucid’s high-performance electric drive system for its upcoming sportscar. Genesis currently uses Hyundai Group’s E-GMP platform for its GV60 but will not use it for future models.

Speaking of the GV60, Genesis presented the GV60 Magma Concept at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK this weekend. Magma is Genesis’ performance brand, and the GV60 Magma Concept is a Magma offshoot of the all-electric Genesis GV60 destined for production “soon.” According to the carmaker, the EV will go on sale in South Korea in the third quarter of next year and in Europe in Q4/2025.

There is still no technical data for the upgraded GV60 in the Magma design. As the GV60 is based on the E-GMP from Hyunda, it has an 800-volt system with up to 240 kW charging power. That means the 77.4 kWh battery can be charged from ten to 80 per cent in 18 minutes. The output is between 168 kW in the base model with rear-wheel drive and 360 kW in the previous top-of-the-range GV60 Performance AWD model.

“We are thrilled to present the global dynamic debut of GV60 Magma Concept at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed,” said Genesis Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke. “The festival’s storied legacy and enthusiastic audience provide an ideal platform to showcase the capabilities of our new Magma program and highlight our strong commitment to high performance. We invite all attendees to immerse themselves in the full Genesis experience and witness the dynamic energy and power of Genesis Magma.”

topgear.com (hybrids), edmunds.com (dedicated EV architecture), genesisnewseurope.com (GV60 Magma Concept)