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Genesis GV80 – our first look at the brand's first SUV

Genesis is in dire need of an SUV to compete in the luxury game. All of its competitors are pumping them out now, but this vehicle you're looking at here won't make its debut until 2020. These pictures are important, because it's our first view of the Korean luxury SUV out testing in its own sheetmetal. Set to be named GV80, this midsize SUV will compete against cars like the BMW X5, Mercedes GLE, and Lincoln Aviator. Yeah, Genesis has its hands full in this segment. If the charming and fun G70 is anything to go by, though, the automaker is on the right track. The big thing we notice on this one right away is the grille — this diamond mesh design is definitely going to be the new face of Genesis with every new vehicle release. We saw it on the GV80 Concept, on spy shots of the 2020 G80 sedan and now we see it here poking past the camouflage. Much of the car is heavily covered in vinyl and cladding, but we can decipher its general shape. A long hood reiterates that the engine will most likely be fitted longitudinally to facilitate a rear-drive platform. It's still unclear whether both all-wheel and rear-wheel drive will offered, but we can be sure most will choose their GV80 with power going to all four wheels. The wheels themselves are 20 inches on this vehicle, though it's likely we see options for even larger sizes. Perhaps the biggest mystery of all on this prototype is what's going on in the back. Genesis places the heaviest camouflage back there, and it kinda resembles a tent. Could they be trying to hide a fastback-shaped rear or just throwing us off? We can see through the mesh to what looks like a rear window placed much further into the car than where the camo stretches. The angle of what's under the vinyl is difficult to make out, though. Unfortunately, it's guaranteed that we won't be seeing this vehicle debut anytime this year. Last we spoke with Genesis General Manager, Erwin Raphael, he said the GV80 would be coming our way sometime in 2020. Related Video:

Genesis, Hyundai, Ram win North American Car, Utility, Truck of the Year at NAIAS

DETROIT — The Hyundai Genesis G70, Hyundai Kona/Kona Electric and the Ram pickup have received North American car, sport utility and truck of the year awards. The awards were announced Monday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. This year's car finalists also included the Honda Insight and Volvo S60/V60. Truck finalists included the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500. SUV finalists also included the Acura RDX and the Jaguar I-Pace. Last year's winners were the Honda Accord, Lincoln Navigator and the Volvo XC60. About 55 automotive journalists serve as judges. Eligible vehicles must be new or substantially changed. Organizers accept no advertising, though automakers try to capitalize on the marketing value of the awards, which are now in their 25th year. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2019 Genesis G70 Drivers' Notes Review | Back-to-back in the 2.0T, 3.3T

It's rare when we get the opportunity to evaluate multiple versions of the same make and model in proximity of each other — at least away from a manufacturer-sponsored event. So, when we got the chance to test the 2019 Genesis G70 in back-to-back weeks in different guises, Senior Editor Alex Kierstein and contributing editor James Riswick happily accepted the chance to compare, contrast and make the same sort of observations actual car buyers might make when trying to decide between one variation and another. In basic terms, it pitted a V6 with an eight-speed automatic against a turbocharged inline-four sporting a six-speed manual. However, there's more than just powertrain to consider with the G70, as like other sport sedans, there are a variety of enhancements that change the way it handles, rides and sounds. We started with a 3.3T Dynamic Edition painted a vibrant Havana Red with diamond-quilted black leather and red stitching. As the name implies, it has a turbocharged 3.3-liter V6, good for 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque, and is only paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is an option, but our car only utilized the wheels out back. A limited-slip differential is standard with the V6, however, along with variable ratio steering. The standard sport-tuned suspension also gets upgraded to electronically controlled adaptive dampers in the Sport trim level. The only difference between that trim and the Dynamic Edition (limited to 400 units) is further upgraded Brembo brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport tires. The 2.0T loses the variable gear ratio on its electric power steering (still rack-mounted), and you can't get the fancy dampers, but is otherwise available with the same feature content as the 3.3T. Well, unless you opt for the six-speed manual transmission fitted to our test car and only available with the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that produces 252 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. Whereas the eight-speed automatic can be paired to all-wheel drive and various trim levels (dubbed "packages" by Genesis in a matter of semantics), the manual is rear-drive only and available with a single package/trim level that basically adds a few choice extras to a standard car, such as 19-inch wheels, Brembo brakes, limited-slip, LED headlights, heated/ventilated seats and the superb Lexicon stereo. It's also leatherette or nothing with the manual. No leather, no fancy diamond quilting.

Major Alexa deal will bring Amazon services into more cars

Amazon and its personal assistance service Alexa are partnering with HERE Technologies to create a new connected mobility service powerhouse. Alexa will integrate with HERE's navigation and location services to offer what the two companies are calling a "true voice-first-navigation experience." Alexa will come pre-integrated with HERE navigation on-demand, which the automakers can then enable, which should help cut down on development time. One of the biggest features from this partnership is how directions could be offered and delivered using HERE's Open Location Platform (OLP). Currently, the OLP uses data from several car manufacturers to provide insights into real-time location and traffic. But on Alexa, this could be used to provide directional context. For example, Alexa could say, "Turn right after [such-and-such a building]" rather than just, "Turn right." Amazon has been testing the automotive waters throughout the past decade. Its home-based Alexa-enabled devices are already offered with connections to several manufacturers. To various degrees of integration, it can already pair with Ford, Genesis, Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai and BMW vehicles. At the end of 2018, Amazon took things a step further when it introduced the Echo Auto, a Bluetooth-connected Alexa assistant device that can be physically kept in a car. Currently only available by invitation (its production and distribution have been delayed), the $25 device is essentially a voice service that works together with smartphones and connects to a car's speakers. Users can command it to do a variety of things, including playing music, setting navigation, opening the garage door, finding local stores, making calls, setting reminders, and thousands of other "skills." According to The Verge, nearly 1 million people have already ordered the device. Some (well, probably few) may know HERE Technologies from its maps on Windows Phones. We all know how that turned out, though. Today, HERE has expanded into a multi-function suite that is available in multiple mediums, including many automotive applications. HERE Automotive's connected vehicle services include real-time traffic, parking, weather, fuel prices, hazard warnings, traffic sign integration, and even EV charging stations. These all incorporate and extend the use of HERE's location and tracking programming. HERE is already partnered with BMW, Audi, Daimler, Intel, Mobileye, NVIDIA, and has investments from Bosch, Continental and Pioneer.

Redesigned Genesis G90 debuts with a completely new look

Genesis, eschewing the L.A. Auto Show, debuted its redesigned G90 in Seoul, South Korea, today. If you were hoping for a totally new look, you're in luck, because Genesis has done just that. The grille is gigantic, and it dominates most of the front of the large sedan now. Flanking the grille are new headlights with an interesting character line extending outside the housing itself. Then we get to those wheels. We imagine people are either going to love them or hate them, but Genesis definitely didn't play it safe with those million-spoke rollers. Moving around to the back, Genesis switched up the taillight design big-time. It used to be subtle and simple, but now we have full-width LEDs and an even stranger stacked arrangement. Those stacks reach around the side of the car and almost become one line where they end. None of it looks like a direct copycat of other luxury car flagships, but the Koreans are definitely following the industry trend of giant rear taillight strips. The interior remains vastly the same, save for a few technology upgrades. A redesigned UI for the infotainment system is now able to receive over-the-air updates for both maps and software. Active noise cancellation is said to make the interior quieter than before, and new colors are available both inside and outside. Driver assistance systems are slightly more capable now — the new G90 has lane-centering, can detect bicycles in its forward collision-avoidance system, and has the safe exit assist feature showing up in Hyundais too. You may be wondering about powertrain updates, but Genesis has nothing new to report there. We imagine both the 3.3-liter boosted V6 and 5.0-liter V8 will continue to be available stateside, paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Genesis also keeps telling us it'll have three SUVs by 2021, which should probably be the priority to keep the brand afloat in the market we have now. We'll see if a more aggressively-styled flagship sedan allows Genesis to encroach any further onto the German's territory once this car gets to market. Speaking of which, we'll expect this Genesis to be touching down in the U.S. mid-2019. Pricing for the Korean-spec G90 translates to about $71,000 as a base price for the 3.3-liter V6 model, but we imagine it could be different here when it eventually launches. Related video:

2020 Genesis G90 facelift leaked in pictures posted online

An updated Genesis G90 has been teased recently, but this is our best look at the flagship sedan's new styling. The pictures were posted to a Korean forum a short time ago. If you didn't care for the big grille trend that keeps rolling along, then this G90 might not be the one for you. The grille takes up nearly the entire frontal area of the car (it's somehow larger than before) with a silver and black lattice pattern being the most prominent design feature. There are a few vents that extend across the lower portion of the front bumper, too. Genesis devised some distinctive looking headlights for the G90 too — the wraparound style is exaggerated even more by the one strip of light extending beyond the headlight and into the front fender. Out back, the design is completely different from before. Hyundai's luxury arm replaced the smaller, vertical taillights with horizontal ones, stretching from one side of the trunk to the other. It's an increasingly popular design nowadays and seems to suit the Genesis just as well. Many car makers execute this sweeping red strip to make the cars look futuristic, but the chrome/silver trim surrounding the taillights actually make this feel more like a throwback look. Instead of the winged Genesis badge in the center, Genesis appears to be getting more confident in its brand name by spelling it out in wide letters across the trunk. Unfortunately, the badging on the bottom right is unreadable, because it would most likely indicate a powertrain choice. We don't expect there to be wholesale changes in the powertrain options for 2020, but there's always a chance we see an updated engine to go along with the new face. Genesis has previously said it will go on sale in South Korea in June 2019, but a reveal should occur before then. In the meantime, Genesis has the awesome new G70 out to do battle with the 3 Series and others of its ilk.Related video:

2020 Genesis G90 teases its refreshed face

We've known for a little while that Hyundai's luxury brand Genesis has been working to update its midsize sedan, the G80. It has shown up in spy photos a few times, and seems to be getting close to production. As it turns out, it's not the only Genesis sedan going under the knife. There's a 2020 Genesis G90 coming with a thoroughly freshened exterior, and it was teased on one of Hyundai's Korean media sites and on its Korean Facebook page. As shown in the photo above, the nose of the new G90 is much more aggressive than the curvy, swept-back look of the current model. The headlights are low and horizontal. They have slim LED accents that split each headlamp and extend out toward the fenders. The grille appears to have lost its slats in favor of a deep set mesh design. We can't quite make out the shape of the grille, but we expect it will have the pentagonal design seen on the G80 prototype and Essentia concept. Hyundai says the car is an update of the current G90, known as the EQ900 in South Korea until this freshened model launches. As such, there likely won't be major changes to the sides of the car. The rear will probably be updated, possibly with a more curt tail and horizontal taillights like the G80 prototype we've seen. Mechanical changes will probably be minimal, too. The company did note that the car will feature over-the-air navigation updates along with active noise cancellation. The car will be released this coming June in South Korea, and a full reveal of the car will likely occur before then. Related Video:

How Hyundai lost momentum, and will 'take a few years' to recover

SEOUL/DETROIT/CHONGQING, China — At a near-empty Hyundai Motor showroom in the Chinese mega city of Chongqing, the store manager is grumbling about his shortage of customers and a lack of bigger, cheaper SUV models popular in the world's largest auto market. Even with discounting of as much as 25 percent, his dealership was selling barely a hundred vehicles a month, said the manager surnamed Li. A nearby Nissan dealership was selling about 400 vehicles a month, a store manager there said. "The sales are simply poor," Li told Reuters. "Look at the Nissan store next door, they have tens of customers while we just have two." An hour's drive away is Hyundai's massive $1 billion manufacturing plant, which opened last year with a target to produce 300,000 vehicles per year. But with sales weak and the Chinese auto market slowing sharply, the factory is running at roughly 30 percent of capacity, two people with knowledge of the matter said. The sources asked not to be identified because the information was not public. Hyundai, the world's fifth largest automaker, declined to comment on the Chongqing plant's production or the showroom's sales but said it is "closely cooperating" with local partner BAIC to turn around the China business. BAIC did not respond to requests for comment. Hyundai's woes mark a major reversal for the automaker which was an early success story in China as it quickly and cheaply rolled out popular new models into a surging market. In 2009, Hyundai and partner Kia's combined sales ranked third in China after General Motors and Volkswagen. The South Korean duo now ranks ninth, and its market share in China was 4 percent last year, from more than10 percent at the beginning of this decade. Executives and industry experts say Hyundai conceded its once stronghold in the low-end segment to fast-growing Chinese rivals such as Geely and BYD. Foreign rivals not only defended their turf in premium segments but also kept pricing competitive for mass-market models, squeezing Hyundai's positioning as an affordable foreign brand, they said. In the United States, the world's second-biggest auto market, Hyundai's market share fell to 4 percent last year, near a decade low. Hyundai ran into problems in China and the United States for similar reasons: It missed shifts in consumer tastes, especially the surge in demand for SUVs, and it sought higher prices than its brand image could command, four Chinese dealers and half a dozen former and current U.S.

2019 Genesis G70 gets exact same base price as BMW 3 Series

The Genesis G70, the smaller, entry-level luxury sedan of the lineup, goes on sale this week and starts at $35,895 including destination charges. That just happens to be the exact same base price as a 2018 BMW 3 Series to the dollar. We see what you did there, Genesis. Anyway, the base G70 comes with the turbocharged 2.0-liter four cylinder that makes 252 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, as well as plenty of tech gizmos for that price. Whereas you'll have to pay extra to get driver assistance features like adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist in other luxury cars, those and a whole suite of features like them are standard in the G70. If you're like us, though, the trim you're probably most interested in is the row-your-own four-cylinder Sport model. This car starts at $38,895. So for $3,000 you'll get the limited-slip differential, Brembo brakes with performance pads, a sport exhaust system and 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped with Michelin PS4 summer rubber. Genesis tosses in a few other cool bits from higher trim levels like full LED headlights, the Lexicon 15-speaker audio system, a power tilt and telescoping steering wheel plus heated and cooled front seats. That's a pretty good deal, especially when you take into account how much we liked driving the darn thing. Of course, the price only goes up from there. The cheapest you'll be able to get the 3.3-liter turbo V6 is $44,745 — a good bit more than the four-cylinder. Optioning all-wheel drive onto any of the trim levels that aren't one of the two launch editions will set you back an extra $2,000. Speaking of those launch editions: The Design Edition builds on the top-tier Prestige trim and gives you an exclusive green exterior with cream colored leather seats for $51,245. There are some matching green accents on the interior, as well as a steering wheel wrapped in Italian leather. The Dynamic Edition is much cooler, and is based on the Sport trim, but this comes with the boosted V6 and eight-speed auto. Genesis played with the suspension tuning for this one in addition to using performance brake pads and summer tires. "Upgraded thermal capacity" is another feature listed, but we'll get back to you on exactly what that means once Genesis tells us. Both the Design and Dynamic launch edition cars will be limited to 400 each. Besides these limited edition trims, all G70s with either four or six cylinders are available in the following trims: Advanced, Elite, Prestige and Sport.

Hyundai Motor Group promotes heir apparent

SEOUL — Hyundai Motor Group promoted heir apparent Euisun Chung on Friday to a role of overseeing the conglomerate, moving him a step closer to succeeding his octogenarian father as head of South Korea's second largest group. Chung, 47, who will assist his father and group chairman Mong-Koo Chung, was appointed as executive vice chairman to respond to "deteriorating global trade issues and changes in competitive dynamics in major markets," Hyundai Motor Group said in a statement. Chaebols like Hyundai and Samsung Group, which have grown into global firms from the rubble of the 1950-1953 Korean War, are undergoing a transfer of power to third- or fourth-generation leaders. "In his new capacity, Executive Vice Chairman Euisun Chung will oversee the entire Group's operations, aiding and reporting to Chairman Mong-Koo Chung," the statement said. The appointment also comes as Hyundai battles tumbling profits, mounting pressure from activist shareholders to improve its governance, and amid South Korea's trade tensions with the United States that threaten to disrupt its production plans. "This is a good sign," Park Yoo-kyung, a director at Dutch pension fund APG Asset Management, said of the appointment. "This will enhance transparency about who is controlling the group and who is making key strategic decisions," she said. Generational shift The junior Chung, currently vice chairman of the group's crown jewel, Hyundai Motor Co, has stepped up in recent years, attending motor shows and government meetings with business leaders on behalf of his 80-year-old father who has made few public appearances. Shares in Hyundai Motor ended up 0.8 percent on Friday, and affiliate Kia Motors fell 0.3 percent in a wider market that rose 1.4 percent. Chairman Chung, the all-powerful boss, has presided over Hyundai for about two decades, transforming the company into the world's fifth-biggest car maker along with Kia Motors. Hyundai is now struggling to reverse slowing sales in China and the United States, where the company has suffered due to its delayed response to booming demand for SUVs. The appointment is part of an effort to "improve future competitiveness and secure future growth engines" at a time when the auto industry is undergoing major changes, the group said. The junior Chung has led the group's efforts to develop future vehicles such as autonomous and connected cars, as well as Hyundai's fledging premium brand Genesis.