Genesis to go all electric by 2025

Genesis, the luxury auto brand of Hyundai Motor Group, will completely phase out internal combustion cars by 2025, it said Thursday, becoming the first Hyundai-owned car brand to announce a full transition to electric vehicles.

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun presented the EV-only vision for Genesis, appearing in a livestream video on its official YouTube channel. He said the brand will achieve carbon neutrality by 2035.

“Genesis has been on an intensive, bold and successful journey, successfully establishing itself as a truly global luxury brand,” Chung said. “It is once again at the starting point of another audacious journey, the journey toward a sustainable future.”

To become an EV-only, carbon neutral brand, the automaker will have to reorganize its entire value chain, from raw materials and auto parts to the operation of the work sites, the firm said.

By 2030, the brand aims to establish itself as a zero-emission vehicle label. Genesis will build an EV lineup consisting of eight models, and set the global sales goal to 400,000 units per year, the automaker said.

Genesis will pursue a “dual electrification” strategy, investing in both fuel cell hydrogen and battery systems.

The company will strive to come up with pure electric technologies, such as for a new fuel cell system with higher power output and a lithium-ion battery system with improved safety and efficiency. 

During Thursday’s event, the brand also presented various new concepts for future cars, including Stage Doors, which open front and rear doors in opposite directions without a B-pillar, the Rotating Swivel Seats and mood lighting, which is designed to offer a sense of comfort for the driver.

Also, a new heating system inspired by the Korean “ondol” underfloor heating could be used to control temperatures inside a vehicle, and an improved high-fidelity sound system would provide an orchestra-like volume to passengers, the automaker said.

“As we continue to design a new dimension of customer experience and build an authentic relationship with our customers, Genesis will take audacious steps to lead the age of electrification into the sustainable future,” Jay Chang, the global head of Genesis, said in the video.

Appearing alongside Chang, Luc Donckerwolke, the brand’s chief creative officer, said the new electric lineup would be the “perfect platform” to increase interaction with customers.

“We aim to interact with all their senses. Our new architecture will integrate audacious technologies with breathtaking designs while providing sincere detail-oriented experiences,” he said, adding that “warm” and “exquisite care” will differentiate the brand from its rivals.

In the video, GV60, which is Genesis’ first EV implemented on Hyundai Motor Group’s EV platform, E-GMP (Electric-Global Modular Platform), was on display.

The GV60 is planned for release in the second half of this year.

Genesis was first launched in 2015, as a luxury automobile brand operated by Hyundai Motor, South Korea’s No. 1 auto manufacturer by sales.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)