Have you seen a design study for a compact executive sedan such as the Genesis New York Concept? I haven’t either. The world has seen its fair share of rear-wheel-drive compact executive sedans, but once the Genesis brand finishes work on its own, the segment will get... let's say more interesting.
More or less official reports have suggested that the concept that was presented at NYIAS would be put into series production in roughly two years’ time. Hyundai North America has disclosed an interesting bit of information on the production model only recently, labeling it the “G70 sports sedan.” From my POV, that’s enough evidence to move forward.
Genesis, the luxury brand of Hyundai, has already launched a full-size fighter in the form of the G90 (or EQ900 in South Korea). Next year, Genesis will start selling the Hyundai Genesis as the Genesis G80, and the year after that, the much-anticipated Genesis G70 sedan will follow. Still, entering the compact executive sedan fray won’t be an easy task.
Think about the establishment: BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4. Now think harder about other rivals: Lexus IS, Cadillac ATS, and so on. I’m afraid the Genesis brand will find it hard to prove itself worthy of being taken into consideration, but never say never. If the designers can transplant as many styling cues as possible from the New York Concept to the Genesis G70, then consider this one in the bag.
Other than the yummy aesthetics, the Genesis New York Concept makes a case for itself with the powertrain. Under the svelte and devilishly sexy body shell, you’ll find a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine conjoined with an 8-speed transmission and an electric motor. Peak powertrain output? 245 horsepower and 260 lb-ft (352 Nm) of torque. D’you hear that, BMW 328i and all you other German sedans?
On an ending note, I’ll mention that a gentleman known as Albert Biermann has been recently appointed head of vehicle test and development at Hyundai. He’s the former BMW M division vice prez, and rumor has it the first high-performance Genesis will be the N-branded G70. For all the yawn-inducing jibber-jabber regarding the Genesis New York Concept, the release under the video below is yours for the taking.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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