A new car company was once a rare occurrence, but lately we have had an influx, many taking advantage of the disruption to the industry caused by the emergence of electric power. One brand that is starting to appear in greater numbers on our roads is Genesis.
It comes from decent stock, being the upmarket offspring of one of the world’s biggest automakers, Hyundai, known for making affordable but nonetheless solid and reliable cars. Genesis takes that South Korean engineering and car-building know-how and wraps the package in all the sumptuous embellishments you would expect from one of the premium, often European, luxury brands.
Genesis’s cars look the part with smart exterior styling, but it takes more than that to pull customers away from the established marques in the sector. As part of the marketing drive it is getting behind some of the more glamorous occasions on the sporting calendar, such as the Scottish Open golf tournament and the White Turf horse racing event on the frozen lake in St Moritz — all in an effort to prize drivers out of their Audis, BMWs and Mercedes and into a Genesis.
Activities in St Moritz include a car versus horse race on the snow and ice. If you’re curious, the car — an electrified Genesis — won a rerun by a nose after an initial dead heat (although maybe one horsepower was always likely to be overcome by the multiple horseys in a powerful electric motor).
Genesis also used the 2024 White Turf event to unveil the GV70 Snow, aptly named for a February launch in the Alps. It takes the company’s GV70 SUV and modifies it with equipment to tackle and enjoy the winter terrain. It’s a passion project from the chief creative officer, the splendidly named Luc Donckerwolke, a world-renowned car designer with a reputation for creating fun, special cars.
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The vehicle is a tie-up with the German off-road specialists Delta 4×4 and beefs up the Genesis with flared wheel arches wrapping Klassik B Rugged wheels wearing chunky BF Goodrich tyres. A bespoke roof rack with an LED light bar adds to the intrepid look, finished with some tailor-made Anavon skis to help fit right into the St Moritz backdrop. It’s a purposeful-looking machine and, with its white body colour and exterior modifications, looks like an arctic exploration vehicle from a Mission Impossible set.
The regular GV70 is Genesis’s mid-sized SUV and offers an interesting alternative to the usual suspects in the sector. The styling is a good example of the brand’s “athletic elegance” design language, with a plush cabin, especially in the top-tier “Luxury” model. Even the cheaper entry-level “Premium” version gets plenty of goodies as standard, such as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, electrically adjustable front seats and a rear-view camera.
One of the tricks Genesis uses to entice buyers is to equip its cars lavishly with a host of standard features that would often appear in the options list of its competitors. Control panels inside the cabin also get particular attention, with good use of high-quality materials, such as a glass-topped rotary gear selector and knurled metal switches and stalks.
There is no hybrid option, but the electrified GV70 is the pick of the bunch over the petrol options, with smooth, quiet power and effortless torque suiting the size and style of this car. It is also almost laughably fast, especially in “Boost” mode, which helps to rocket this fairly big SUV to 62mph in 4.2 seconds. The vehicle has an impressive claimed range of 283 miles on a full charge and comes with a five-year warranty.
As Lexus, Toyota’s high-end brand, managed some years ago, Genesis hopes it will soon no longer be seen as a jumped-up new kid on the block. Being simply viewed as part of the conversation in the premium car market will be the most significant marker of its success.
