Genesis, Hyundai’s luxury brand, has unveiled its first all-electric car. It is called the Electrified G80 because Genesis took the existing G80 sedan and reactivated it to run on electricity. The carmaker claims to drive about 427 kilometers (about 265 miles) with a full battery.
This is a very simple idea that pales in comparison to some of the exciting concept cars that Genesis has shown over the years, many of which are claimed to be electric. In fact, none of these progressive style choices and daring ideas appear in the Electrified G80. Nor is it form-breaking like Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 sedan or Kia’s EVA, both built on the parent company’s new e-GMP platform.
This is of course by design, because Genesis will try to sell customers on something that looks and feels more familiar. And the electrified G80 will borrow bit of the e-GMP – namely the high-voltage technology that enables fast recharging as well as two-way charging, which means that the G80 will be able to power all kinds of electrical devices. But it’s unclear what other work Genesis has done in the rest of the G80’s electric substructure, as the company said it is storing the full e-GMP platform for its future electric SUVs.
Genesis’s first electric production sedan was introduced at Auto Shanghai 2021 and will be sold in China, but Genesis says the electric sedan is also coming to North America. The car will be four-wheel drive and spin at 0 to 60 km / h in less than five seconds, with plenty of luxurious touches, such as a road noise suppression feature and a camera-assisted adjustable suspension. But Genesis otherwise did not share any specifications, prices or release dates.
Designing an electric motor and battery in a car designed to work with an internal combustion engine may be beneficial to the car manufacturer, but it naturally leads to compromises that you do not have to make if you have an EV from the soil does not create. on. Genesis has teased some great ideas with its electrical concepts in the past, but the luxury brand is clearly not going to try to realize this with the Electrified G80.