Genesis has forecasted its performance-focused future, with the brand to start adding “spice” to its line-up with sportier models and powered-up engines.
That’s the word from Genesis’ Chief Creative Officer, Luc Donckerwolke, who said the work to establish the brand has been done – and now it’s time to have some fun.
“We have been building the foundations of the brand. It’s all basically built on being athletic and being elegant. This is basically done, we have constructed the brand. And now we believe it’s time to add the spice,” he said.
“This is the letter of intent of what’s to come. There’s more to come.”
The letter he’s referring to is the Genesis GV80 Coupe Concept, a petrol-powered performance SUV revealed in full at the New York Auto Show.
It’s Concept in name only, though. The model has already been confirmed for global launch this year, with an arrival in Australia expected in the first half of 2023.
It is also expected to debut a new and more powerful version of Genesis’ biggest and most powerful engine, the 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6.
Currently, that engine produces a significant 279kW and 530Nm, fed through an eight-speed auto and sent to all four wheels. But we’d expect to see those numbers climb.
Quizzed on the whether more power would be required to drive this new performance future, Donckerwolke assured media the GV80 Coupe Concept, and future Genesis performance cars, wouldn’t be “all show, no go”.
“We will certainly not offer an all show, no go vehicle,” he said.
“If we’re going for sportier character in the design, then definitely we believe that there is a need to make it match with the characteristics of the car, and the way it drives.”
Better still, we already have a fairly solid idea of what the brand’s performance future will actually look like.
Genesis’ X Trilogy concepts will likely pave the way for the brand’s future model line-up, consisting of the X Convertible, the X Concept and the X Speedium Coupe (pictured).
“We have shown the X Trilogy,” Donckerwolke said. “At that time, we were hoping we could have a future with those. The response has been so incredible, that we are actually looking at making them a reality.
“The show cars we do are intended to be a reality afterwards.”
One thing that is off the table, however, is the introduction of a performance sub brand, like BMW’s M or Mercedes-Benz AMG, with Genesis instead slotting its performance heroes under its main brand umbrella.
“We will not have another brand. We do believe that we can add spice to the product line-up, but we will not make a seperate brand,” Donckerwolke said.
“That would be diluting the strength of Genesis.”
Keyword: 'Time to add the spice': Genesis to take on Mercedes-AMG and BMW M with powered-up Trilogy X performance models