Hyundai spins Genesis into stand-alone luxury sub-brand

Above, the Hyundai Genesis sedan, or future Genesis G80; the next-generation Equus (below) will be renamed Genesis G90 for its Canadian debut, set for next year.

Hyundai has made dreams rumours come true with the announcement it will split its upscale models off into a stand-alone luxury brand called Genesis.

Genesis’ transition into its own brand means new model names, and according to Hyundai Canada’s Chad Heard, the first of those will appear in Canada next year with the G90 sedan, a replacement for the current Equus flagship, to be followed by the G80 (nee Genesis sedan); the new cars will wear a redesigned version of the winged badge used on the current Genesis sedan. The Genesis Coupe will remain a Hyundai model, so perhaps an all-new coupe design will give Genesis a competitor for cars like the BMW 4 Series, Lexus RC, and Audi A5. We have to wonder, too, whether the Koreans will jump on the dubious ‘four-door coupe’ trend. It seems more likely the next-generation Genesis Coupe could be part of the high-performance intentions Hyundai previewed in its ‘N’-brand reveal earlier this year in Frankfurt.

Heard said “there will be a transition period where vehicles will straddle both brands,” which means we can expect some confusion on top of what yet another uncreative alphanumeric naming convention will cause on its own. Hyundai says Genesis’ move upmarket will be complete by 2020.

Heard couldn’t offer any further comment on the brand’s plans, but it’s no stretch to suggest there will be at least one high-volume, high-profit crossover in the model mix; he did tell us the promised six models will come “on distinct platforms with, in some cases, unique powertrains.”