CarBrandLogos archive · Genesis · 2020

GenesisGV80

The SUV the brand needed before anyone would take its saloons seriously.

Photo: MercurySable99 · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

A defining chapter in Genesis history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Genesis GV80, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

A luxury brand without an SUV is a luxury brand without customers, and the GV80 of 2020 was the model that made Genesis commercially viable. It uses the same rear-drive-based platform as the G80, with rear- or four-wheel drive, turbocharged four- and six-cylinder petrol engines, a diesel in some markets, and an eight-speed automatic.

Genesis GV80 IAA 2021 1X7A0173 · Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0

Genesis GV80 JX1 SDS II Maroon Brown Smoky Green Two Tone

Design and engineering

SangYup Lee's design is the reason it stands out. The proportions are long-bonneted and rear-drive rather than crossover-generic, and the interior, with its thin horizontal architecture, wide screen, knurled metal and open-pore wood, was widely judged the most convincing part of the car and better resolved than several established rivals.

Genesis GV80 JX1 SDS II Maroon Brown Smoky Green Two Tone · Damian B Oh · CC BY-SA 4.0

Genesis GV80 3.5T AWD JX1 PE Storr Green

In production

A coupe-roofed version followed, as did a heavily updated model wearing the brand's later design language. Built at Ulsan, the GV80 quickly became the model most Genesis buyers actually chose.

Genesis GV80 3.5T AWD JX1 PE Storr Green · Damian B Oh · CC BY 4.0

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

2020–present

Engine

Petrol engine

Designer

SangYup Lee

Body

5-door SUV

Technical specification

The GV80, in detail.

Production: 2020–present
Class: Mid-size luxury crossover SUV
Body style: 5-door SUV; 5-door Coupe SUV (GV80 Coupe)
Layout: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout; Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive ; Front-engine, four-wheel-drive layout; Front-engine, four-wheel-drive
Engine: Petrol engine; Petrol: ; 2.5 L Hyundai Smartstream engine#G4KR; Smartstream G2.5 Turbocharger; T-Gasoline direct injection; GDi Straight-four engine; I4 ; 3.5 L Hyundai Smartstream engine#G6DS; Smartstream G3.5
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Designer: SangYup Lee
Assembly: South Korea: Ulsan (Ulsan Plant 2)
Manufacturer: Genesis Motor (Hyundai)