Photo: carfrontswaps / Instagram
After years of speculation, Hyundai has finally entered the American compact pickup truck market with the 2022 Santa Cruz. Now that a first step was made, would it be entirely preposterous to imagine that one day even the luxury Genesis brand will have its own bed-sporting vehicle?
Well, considering that about everything these days is about crossovers, SUVs, and trucks – it wouldn’t be surprising at all. After all, here we are looking all day long at the latest incarnations of the Cullinan... a Rolls-Royce SUV. And with Genesis being a new brand on the market, there are no traditions to be upheld. Still, this unofficial take on a possible GV80 pickup truck won’t ever see the light of day.
It’s not because the pixel master behind the carfrontswaps account on social media is trying to shock us. After seeing that Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat with a minty T-top, a hideous custom interior, as well as 34-inch wheels... nothing scares us. Not today, at least. Actually, the chosen vehicle to perform the swap and the paintjob all seem perfectly fine... as far as car front swaps go, of course.
But there’s a different issue that makes us cross this with a big “X.” Behind the GV80 face sits Rivian’s R1T electric adventure pickup truck. And there really isn’t any chance the U.S.-based startup will start a collaboration with Genesis. Not after they just wrapped up another private funding round. It’s not the size of the investment that matters – although at $2.5 billion it’s certainly sizeable.
Instead, it’s the fact that among the financing entities (Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, D1 Capital Partners, or T. Rowe Price Associates) there was also one Ford Motor Company. The Detroit automaker has remained a worthy partner for the American startup and there’s probably zero chance of breaking the bonds with it for a potential partnership with the Hyundai Motor Group.
Besides, the South Korean automaker already has its own proprietary E-GMP all-electric vehicle architecture. So, it wouldn’t be inconceivable for the automaker to adapt it for Genesis’ necessities, although we have a feeling that other body styles are first in line for an EV powertrain, not a pickup truck.
It’s not because the pixel master behind the carfrontswaps account on social media is trying to shock us. After seeing that Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat with a minty T-top, a hideous custom interior, as well as 34-inch wheels... nothing scares us. Not today, at least. Actually, the chosen vehicle to perform the swap and the paintjob all seem perfectly fine... as far as car front swaps go, of course.
But there’s a different issue that makes us cross this with a big “X.” Behind the GV80 face sits Rivian’s R1T electric adventure pickup truck. And there really isn’t any chance the U.S.-based startup will start a collaboration with Genesis. Not after they just wrapped up another private funding round. It’s not the size of the investment that matters – although at $2.5 billion it’s certainly sizeable.
Instead, it’s the fact that among the financing entities (Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, D1 Capital Partners, or T. Rowe Price Associates) there was also one Ford Motor Company. The Detroit automaker has remained a worthy partner for the American startup and there’s probably zero chance of breaking the bonds with it for a potential partnership with the Hyundai Motor Group.
Besides, the South Korean automaker already has its own proprietary E-GMP all-electric vehicle architecture. So, it wouldn’t be inconceivable for the automaker to adapt it for Genesis’ necessities, although we have a feeling that other body styles are first in line for an EV powertrain, not a pickup truck.
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