Genesis Humbles BMW and Audi at the 2023 New York Auto Show

Hailing Hyundai/Kia as the next big juggernaut in the automotive sector might be kind of a "duh" statement if you keep up with things as we do. But truthfully, there's a difference between reading about Genesis' exploits lately in press releases and seeing and touching the things in real life. At a 2023 New York Auto Show where manufacturers like BMW seem as though they hardly tried this year, the Genesis booth was equally and oppositely fantastic.

From the moment you turn the corner inside the Jacob K. Javits Center towards the Genesis booth this year, you're bathed in a sea of ambient light that helps all the high-quality paint on display really pop. Compared to BMW's booth right next door with three cars, Genesis showed up with what felt like ten cars or more. Across a range of sedans and SUVs running the full gambit from mid-size to full-size, Genesis showed off just where all the R&D over the last 15 years has gone.

With a slew of helpful presenters and media relations people ready to answer all our questions, Genesis knew just how to be the polar opposite of BMW's or Audi's booth in New York this year. Keep in mind Audi employed the help of a local New York dealer to put together their booth at the show. That's pretty standard at auto shows. But still, it's a little suspicious that they couldn't do it themselves. We can't hope to touch on every point and every feature on display from every model Genesis lugged to New York this year all at once. But what we can do is give our off-the-cuff interpretation of what the brand had on display that afternoon.

In a sea of luxury vehicles that melt your face with how ugly their front facias are, seeing how Genesis manages to make the most out of contemporary design languages shows that not all new cars need to be drab or flat-out unappealing. From the sporty and scrappy-looking G70 to the mid-size electrified G80 and the mack-daddy G90, Genesis sedans manage to turn ostensible negative design traits like thin slits for headlamps and large front grilles and somehow make it work for them. From all but a few niche angles, there's quite a lot to like across the range of ICE and battery-electric powered Genesis sedans.

As the rest of the industry prepares to ditch coupes and sedans altogether, Genesis is proving you don't have to drive an SUV if you don't want to. This is a behavioral pattern that's replicated in the interiors of Genesis sedans. With plush, soft-touch materials and high-fidelity screens encompassing almost everything you can see, touch, and otherwise notice inside one of these cars, Genesis sedans appear to make a bold proclamation to Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi.

The message is simple. Step your game up, or Genesis will poach every last traditionally German-biased luxury car customer if the long-established aristocracy in the sector doesn't get their act together. Moving onto the SUVs, because that's what people care about the most whether we like it or not. Musings about the ascendance of SUVs among all other vehicle types aside, we wouldn't say no to a spin in any mom-mobile built by Genesis.

Off the bat with the Genesis GV60, there's so much to like about the exterior of this cute little crossover. Without the extensive Genesis badging, you'd almost believe Mini built the thing. Moving to the Electrified Genesis GV70, which looks more or less identical to the ICE G70, starts the trend of large, flatscreen-TV adjacent front grilles that are as sacred to the Genesis brand as Rolls-Royce's front fascia is to their respective brand.

With plush leather and what feels like just the right amount of center-screen space, we get the feeling the cockpit of the GV70 is an amazing place to spend a road trip. But there's a sense that the best of the Genesis magic is saved for the flagship GV80 and its confidant this year, the GV80 Coupe Concept. It's not often a German or even a Japanese luxury SUV carries quite the same flare that the GV80 carries in both its forms. It's doubtful everyone's going to be over the moon about a Genesis rival to the BMW X6, but those who are into sport activity coupes ought to take a look in Genesis' direction before they put down money for a third-gen X6.

We have in-depth guides for all the Genesis vehicles at the New York Auto Show, and we encourage you to check them out if you want to learn more. But rather than rattle off endless facts and figures about all the Genesis models at the show this year, we thought it proper to analyze the Genesis booth itself. In all ostensible measures, Genesis embarrassed the competition this year. As if that was ever in doubt.