Genesis

**Genesis Motor, LLC**, commonly referred to as **Genesis**, is the luxury vehicle division of the South Korean vehicle manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Initially envisioned along with the plan for Hyundai's new luxury sedan, the *Hyundai Genesis*, in 2004, the Genesis brand was officially announced as an independent marque on 4 November 2015, launching their first Genesis standalone model, the Genesis G90, in 2017. Genesis models are designed in Rüsselsheim (Germany), Namyang (South Korea), and Irvine (United States); and produced in Ulsan (South Korea). In 2020 J.D. Power named Genesis the most dependable automotive brand in North America.

Yong-Woo (William) Lee is the global head and executive vice president. Luc Donckerwolke, former design director of Volkswagen subsidiaries Bentley, Lamborghini, and Audi, is head of design operations. Mark del Rosso, former president of Audi of America, is CEO of Genesis North America. Filippo Perini, former Lamborghini head of design, is chief designer. Peter Schreyer, formerly at Volkswagen and principal designer of the VW Golf, New Beetle, and the Audi TT, is a president and heads design management. Albert Biermann, former head of the BMW M performance division, oversees tuning and performance as executive vice president of performance development and high-performance vehicles. Sang-Yup Lee, former designer of the C-6 Chevrolet Corvette and Bentley Continental GT, and Alexander (Sasha) Selipanov, former designer of the Bugatti Chiron, lead exterior and advanced design. Fayez Rahman, former development leader at BMW, is vice-president of architecture development. Bozhena Lalova, on a secondment from Mercedes-Benz, heads colour and trim.

## History

Hyundai conceived "Concept Genesis" in 2003 and introduced its first-ever model in 2007 as a *"progressive interpretation of the modern rear-wheel-drive sports sedan"*. The body design took three years and the total cost of the program was $500 million over a development period of 23 months. Reliability testing ran for 800,000 miles.[17] Hyundai introduced the Genesis in 2008 at the North American International Auto Show.[18]

Chris Hosford, Hyundai's United States spokesman, cited three main reasons to make Genesis a stand-alone brand:[19]

* Genesis' extant seven years in the luxury car market was successful
* Genesis ranked among the top three segment sellers
* Customers demanded a separate Genesis division

Genesis Motor announced the launch of its first model, the G90 (EQ900 in South Korea), on 9 December 2015. The G90 serves as the brand's flagship model. Genesis launched in the U.S. in late 2016, with the sale of the G80 and G90 models. The initial dealers are a subset of existing Hyundai dealers, with designated space for Genesis within the dealerships' showrooms. On September 14, 2016, a third model, the Genesis G70, was unveiled in Namyang, South Korea. The car was introduced to the United States market during the 2018 New York Auto Show on March 28, 2018. In June 2018, according to the reports, Genesis Motor ranked first on J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study. The brand's first SUV, the GV80, formally debuted on 14 January 2020.

## Models

### Current

* Genesis G70
* Genesis G80
* Genesis G90
* Genesis GV80

## Future Plans

By 2022, a sports coupe and two crossovers are expected, bringing the number of Genesis models to at least six. In addition, in 2018 Genesis patented the GT70, GT80, and GT90 trademarks in preparation for three grand tourer models. Genesis follows an alphanumeric naming convention; car models are named by combining the letter *"G"* and a number (70, 80, 90, and so on) while crossovers are named by combining the letters *"GV"* and a number. Genesis is initially being marketed in South Korea, China, the Middle East, Russia, Canada, Australia, and the United States, followed by Europe and the rest of Asia.