Originally published March 24, 2016 on autoTRADER.ca
There’s a shift going on in the world of Hyundai right now. Genesis gets promoted from nameplate to stand-alone luxury brand, and Equus canters off to the glue factory. What we knew as the Genesis Sedan is now the G80, and supplanting the Equus full-size luxury sedan is a stretched version of the G80, dubbed the G90. This stately S Class-sized luxo-conveyance has been on sale in Korea for a few months now, and will make its North American debut soon.
The cabin of the G90 is truly a sumptuous place, awash in soft leathers, fine wood veneers and obsessive detailing. And you know that 17-speaker Lexicon audio will be spectacular. Back seat legroom is generous with available “VIP” 12-way seats, and as is the case with Hyundai, er sorry, Genesis, we will see high content per dollar value, but perhaps not all the crazy finger-swirl-reading and autonomous tech seen in its German counterparts.
However, the big Genesis news here at the NYIAS is the unveiling of a new concept sedan, fittingly named the New York Concept.
The Genesis folks are clear in stating they not playing catch up. Boldly positioning themselves as a new luxury brand in the existing landscape, they point to a more modern interpretation of luxury and an ahead-of-the-curve focus on design.
With heavy-weights Peter Shreyer and new recruit Luc Donckerwolke (of VW, Bentley, Lamborghini) at the helm, it’s safe to assume these claims will ring true. Donckerwolke left the Volkswagen Group for this “chance of a lifetime” to be a part of the Genesis “dream team that will shape the brand”.
Shreyer noted, “We have the freedom to surprise. Our character is not encased in amber.”
They state the Genesis New York Concept is not a show car, but a glimpse into the future of Genesis. This sleek four-door sedan resplendent in an interesting pastel blue certainly looks more production ready than flight-of-fancy. Are the Germans feeling a tad edgy?
Look for six new products from Genesis in the next few years, spanning cars, crossovers and SUVs.
