- Genesis, Hyundai Motor's luxury car brand, will only sell EVs in the UK starting this year.
- The remaining combustion-powered vehicle stock is expected to run out by the summer.
Genesis, Hyundai Motor’s luxury division, is going all-in on electric cars in the United Kingdom for the foreseeable future as it distances itself from combustion models.
The company will continue to sell gas- and diesel-powered cars from stock, but inventory is expected to dry up by the summer, according to Autocar. After that, only three EVs will be left on the showroom floor: the Electrified G80 sedan, Electrified GV70 SUV and GV60 crossover.
All three will get refreshed versions this year, with the Electrified G80 set to go on sale in April in the UK with an extended wheelbase and a longer driving range, while the facelifted Electrified GV70 SUV is expected to land at dealerships this summer with more range than the outgoing model. The GV60 crossover, which shares its 800-volt underpinnings with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, also got a refresh this year.
More EVs from Genesis are on the way–in the UK and elsewhere–including a production version of the performance-oriented GV60 Magma and the upcoming GV90 flagship SUV.
All this being said, Genesis plans on adding hybrids to its UK lineup in the future, as the company is looking to attract more customers by offering more powertrain choices.
The UK, which is no longer part of the European Union, had a double-digit increase in EV registrations last year–the biggest jump in the region. Genesis saw these gains first-hand, with around 80% of its sales in the UK last year being all-electric models. The GV60 was the biggest seller, according to AutoExpress, followed by the Electrified GV70 and Electrified G80.
The Korean luxury automaker will also move away from its current sales approach. The brand will add up to 15 new dealers this year in the UK, a huge departure from having just three physical ‘studios,’ two around the capital city of London and one in Edinburgh.
“We want to create that desirability of the brand; we have a plan and a strategy to become a recognized premium luxury car brand in the UK,” Genesis UK’s brand director Johnny Miller told AutoExpress. “But not to just chase volume. We've not been created by the Hyundai corporation to chase volume. We've been created to demonstrate the experience a Korean company can deliver.”
