Genesis EV Rolls Closer to Production

As it slowly fleshes out its lineup, fledgling premium brand Genesis can’t be without an electric vehicle. It’s 2020, after all. Thankfully, living under the Hyundai Motor Group umbrella means having access to a number of goodies — among them, Hyundai’s new modular electric architecture, which will underpin the fully-electric Ioniq brand.

As spy photos show, a small Genesis EV is already undergoing testing.

Photos published by Motor Authority show a compact, four-door liftback that’ll probably arrive with crossover billing.

Last year, Genesis global boss Manfred Fitzgerald told Australian outlet Drive that the brand would have an EV on offer sometime in 2021. “We are absolutely committed to alternative propulsion,” he said. “I think you will see that Genesis will have every alternative covered in a relatively short space of time.”

Last week, Hyundai revealed plans for a lineup of Ioniq-branded electric vehicles, all riding atop the automaker’s new E-GMP platform. The upcoming Genesis model will arrive after the market arrival of the next-generation G80 sedan and its platform-mate GV80 SUV. A compact GV70 utility will also appear late this year or early next. The latter two models should go a long way to bringing Genesis’ sales volume to meaningful levels.

As for the EV, little is known, but the spy shots give us an idea of what to expect in terms of shape. It’s not exactly the Mint concept (seen above). Pricing will surely undercut compact EVs on the way from Germany, and remain competitive with Tesla’s lower-end offerings. With Hyundai’s E-GMP models all boasting 800-volt electrical architecture, recharging times could be a selling point for the premium electric.

[Image: Genesis]