Car luxury brands are growing fast. Perhaps because more and more people have enough money to buy this kind of a vehicle or maybe they think they deserve the best possible, the vanilla model, which will set them out from the rest of the regular world? I, for an example, don’t understand what the Accord lacks and the Acura TLX has to offer better, but hey, don’t listen to me. What do I know? In any case, premium brands are here to offer more than the equivalent models provide, and sometimes this is the case. Hyundai has started making its upscale lineup recently, so it’s not any wonder at all why they offer just a couple of sedans at the moment. The situation is going to change in the coming years, or even a year. We know that because the brand plans to introduce the first-ever SUV either before the end of the year or in early 2019. How do we know that? Well, it’s pretty clear since we caught a testing mule of what appears to be the 2020 Genesis GV80 SUV.
The vehicle is going to be named exactly like this for sure. The carmaker has previewed it last year at the 2017 New York Auto Show, and back then they’ve pointed out that “V” stands for crossovers. Anyway, you’ve probably managed to recognize the Hyundai Santa Fe here, meaning that there’s no any kind of GV80 crossover anywhere here. Well, that’s not completely true. This is the first-ever Genesis high-riding vehicle, but it’s using the body of the current Santa Fe. These two are going to feature pretty similar proportions, so the shell is suitable for preliminary tests. Still, in case you can’t see, the car manufacturer added a few more inches between the wheels and made the track wider, which means that the 2020 Genesis GV80 is going to offer a bit more space. Though, bearing in mind what the current Genesis models offer inside, the additional space isn’t going to be the strongest card of the SUV. No, it’s going to offer a far more including a long list of standard equipment, safety features, and beautiful details.
But let’s go back to the testing model.
The most interesting thing the crossover owns at the moment is an engine. No, this GV80 isn’t using anything the other Genesis cars have, and no, it’s not mated to the fuel-cell powertrain as the concept. Instead, the carmaker is testing its future 3.5-liter V6 right now. How do we know? Well, there is a sticker on a window which says 3.5G 4WD AT, so we don’t have to be a genius to figure out what’s happening beneath the hood. There’s the newV6, which is paired with an automatic-transmission (probably 8-speed) and all-wheel-drive system. Genesis boss has promised to concept all model with some plug-in hybrid technology, meaning there’s going to be an optional powertrain.
Is the 2020 Genesis GV80 SUV is coming to North America? Definitely. The carmaker has its dealer network already and, what’s more important, the crossover will be good enough to compete with the biggest names without any problem.
