Genesis, luxury subsidiary of Korean manufacturer Hyundai, plans to launch two SUVs locally around 2020, while the G70 and G80 sedans will be the first cabs off the rank early next year.
Following the launch of the standalone brand, along with the G70 and G80 (formerly Hyundai Genesis) at the beginning of 2018, Bill Thomas, general manager for external affairs at Hyundai Australia, told CarAdvice that Genesis is looking to bring two SUVs Down Under – though they’re still “at least two years away”.
“The GV80 concept revealed earlier this year gives strong hints as to the design direction of the larger of these luxury vehicles,” he said.
“We aren’t in a position to talk more about technical details at this stage, but it’s clear that SUVs are the future and Genesis will be highly competitive in this segment.”
Meanwhile, the local launch of the Genesis standalone brand and subsequently the G70 and G80 sedans – previously scheduled for a late-2017 introduction – has been delayed slightly until January or February next year.
While specific reasons for the wait haven’t been detailed, Thomas cited “production delays”.
However, Hyundai maintains that the G70 – which is yet to be revealed – will be an “extremely competitive” player in the medium luxury sedan market, despite being late to the party, with rivals including the likes of the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and soon, another Korean player in the form of the Kia Stinger – which the G70 shares underpinnings with.
This latest development comes after Hyundai also confirmed this week that the i30 N hot hatch’s local launch has been delayed until February or March.
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