Korean brand Genesis has unveiled its first in what is sure to be a series of luxury SUVs on Tuesday evening at a private event in Seoul. The 2020 Genesis GV80 is expected to go on sale later this month in South Korea and trickle out to the rest of the world shortly thereafter. Following a low-light glimpse of the SUV on the eve of the New Year, we’ve been in the dark ever since. Genesis is finally coming clean with the details on this machine.
This is a very nice first effort from the company with what appears to be a very luxurious interior with a gorgeous two-spoke steering wheel, plenty of buttons and knobs, and lovely pleated leather surfaces throughout. Check out that massive 14.5″ centre stack display! Apparently the gauges are equipped with a sensor to track the driver’s eyes in order to provide a three-dimensional effect from the screen, I presume this works much like Nintendo’s 3DS handheld gaming device did and look forward to seeing how it works with my own eyes.
The Korean market will get the SUV with a 3-litre inline-six turbo-diesel engine, which is unlikely to be exported to this market. A pair of turbocharged engines are on the horizon, however, including a 2.5-litre inline-four and a Genesis-specific 3.5-litre V6. Power figures have not yet been announced. All of these engines will be bolted up to an 8-speed automatic transmission.
The exterior styling is a little busy at the front, but clears out as we go along toward the back. I’m not sure how I feel about the twin slit narrow headlights, but the large grille is quite stately. I absolutely abhor the fender vents. Genesis says this vehicle will be indicative of the brand’s styling going forward, so get used to this as a corporate face.
It’s about the size of an X5, apparently, and will have a vestigial third row seat available as an option. It looks much larger in pictures. I’ll have to lay eyes on it to really judge for myself.
In the meantime, welcome another Lux SUV to the 2020 automotive landscape. I’m sure it’s good, but did we really need it?