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Genesis GV90 revealed: Rolls-Royce rival is Europe's largest EV
Bentayga-sized flagship kicks off brand's new era with huge battery, cinema screen and coach doors
Genesis has stepped up its assault on the luxury car market with the unveiling of a bold new flagship SUV in the mould of the Bentley Bentayga.
The new GV90 is the production-ready version of the Neolun concept the brand revealed in 2024 and is larger and more luxurious than any model the company has yet launched.
The SUV is the spearhead for a reinvention of the Hyundai-owned Genesis brand, as it marks 10 years since the launch of its first bespoke model, the G90 limousine.
Hyundai Motor Group president Jose Muñoz called the GV90 a “landmark arrival” because it “opens a new chapter for Genesis, building on our track record of bold innovation, elevated customer experiences and an unwavering commitment to excellence.”
Hyundai Motor Company’s design boss SangYup Lee, who co-designed the Bentley Bentayga in a previous career with the VW Group, called the GV90 a “status car”, and said it is “maybe our first true luxury car, as opposed to what you might call a ‘premium’ car”.
He told Autocar: “This is a change of gear for us. It’s not for us to judge what its true rivals are: the customer will judge, otherwise it’s egotism. We will continue to listen and respond to them.”
He said the GV90 heralds a new era of Genesis as a “pluralist brand, not only focusing in one place” - describing the marque’s three core brand pillars as “luxury, performance, and what we like to call ‘cool factor’. All three have an important place in the future of Genesis”.
At almost 5.3m long – larger than its sibling models, the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9 – the GV90 is roughly the same length as the Rolls-Royce Cullinan and the longest, EWB version of the Bentayga. It will be the largest electric car available when it goes on sale in Europe next year.
It rides on an adapted version of the Hyundai group's modular EV architecture, dubbed eMP (Electric Mobility Prime) – which the brand says is "exclusive" for its flagship models – and is “the culmination of Genesis's elevated hospitality ethos", said the firm, referring to its 'Son-nim' policy of treating "each customer as an honoured guest".
It has a huge, 3245mm wheelbase, a flat floor throughout the cabin and a slim, upright cockpit, which combine to offer a cavernous, private jet-style interior that's far removed from that of the brand's more mainstream cars.
It will be offered with the choice of seven seats or with a VIP-oriented four-seat arrangement (with rotating front seats) in range-topping Neolun trim, which also comes with pillarless, reverse-opening rear doors. An innovative dual-motion, sliding-hinge arrangement means that, unlike those seen previously on the likes of the Mazda RX-8, BMW i3 and Mazda MX-30, they can be opened independently of the front doors, and the back-seat passengers can get in and out more easily.
Extra reinforcements to the body shell compensate for the missing B-pillar, but Lee said that the unusual arrangement was one of the biggest challenges in taking the Neolun concept to production. "This car wasn’t just a design exercise; it has really pushed our engineering and manufacturing teams, and our suppliers. A hidden B-pillar on a small car like a BMW i3 is tough, but doable. Executing that on a car this size and weight, and still getting a five-star crash result, was almost an impossible mission."
There’s ambient lighting, too, and a 25-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, which brings a new Virtual Venue function that can replicate the ‘signature acoustics’ of arenas such as Boston Symphony Hall and Wembley Stadium.
The interior material options have been chosen, Genesis says, “to deliver the attention to detail expected of a flagship” and include genuine stone, wood flooring and cashmere wool.
Lee said the primary aim of the design team was to ensure the GV90 retained as many of the Neolun concept's features as possible. "We really tried to deliver everything from that show car: the 24in wheels, the full-width OLED taillights, the hardwood floor with the underfloor heating, and the crystal jewellery-look, cold-injection-moulded, strip headlamps. We didn’t overlook anything.
"We actually developed the concept car and the show car simultaneously. The concept had to be finished sooner, and so with some of its features we even managed to improve on them for the production car. The headlights are a great example. On the concept car, these had a more two-dimensional appearance; in the finished production car, they look even better, more jewel-like."
Up front, the centrepiece of the cockpit is a whopping 23.6in-wide free-standing touchscreen that runs Hyundai’s new Pleos infotainment system. It can be raised by 90mm when parked to give a 24.6in cinema screen that can play “a wide variety” of multimedia content. There’s a 25in head-up display too, which, Genesis says, allows the driver to see their speed, sat-nav instructions and ADAS alerts without taking their eyes off the road.
The GV90's generous footprint also means it can accommodate a colossal, 123.5kWh battery, which is expected to be good for a range of up to 311 miles. Equipped with 800V hardware as standard, the GV90 can charge at up to 350kW, with Genesis claiming a 10-80% top-up in just 22 minutes.
The battery powers a pair of motors – one at the front and one at the rear – which combine to give 648bhp and 590lb ft, making the GV90 more powerful than any EV from the Hyundai group stable so far, including its hot new GV60 Magma sibling.
Each motor is equipped with its own limited-slip differential – a first for the company – to optimise power delivery at each corner in all conditions, and rear-wheel steering is fitted as standard. Genesis says the result is “agile handling” in high-speed corners, and greater control on slippery or rough roads.
Adjustable multi-chamber air suspension configures the ride height to suit the conditions and uses dual-valve adaptive dampers to achieve the optimum balance of bump isolation and body control.
The windows are more than 5mm thick all round for maximum noise-cancelling qualities, while the windscreen has a thin metal coating that can defrost the glass independently of the in-car climate control. The optional panoramic roof is equipped with liquid crystal technology that allows its transparency to be controlled across six individual sections.
The GV90 will go on sale in South Korea next month and Europe in the first half of 2027, with precise timings for a UK entry still to be confirmed. There is no indication of price yet, but it will be comfortably the firm’s most expensive model, with orders set to open north of £100,000.
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