It’s not officially confirmed as the name yet, but we have strong reason to believe it will be called the Genesis GV60 (following patent filings). And yep, testing in Australia is currently active.
We spotted a prototype on the streets in Macquarie Park this week, right near Hyundai Australia’s headquarters in the north-west of Sydney. While we didn’t get a chance to take any photos, we can confirm some interesting details that we witnessed (photos in this story are from earlier spy shots in Korea).
Taking a quick look inside, we saw a curious button on the steering wheel that just said ‘boost’ on it. Our understanding is this, when pushed, will provide a surge in performance for short periods. There is a chance such a function might be reserved for the flagship variants.
The interior also showed off a very interesting-looking gear selector, which looks as though it flips around like something from a spaceship. We think the new model might offer drivers a choice of different ‘power modes’ too, focusing on either economy or performance.
Speaking of which, the GV60 is set to feature the powertrain from the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6. In those, customers will be offered RWD and AWD packages, with a battery capacity of up to 77.4kWh. In the case of the Kia EV6 GT, two electric motors (one front, one rear) unleash up to 430kW. According to Kia, it’ll sprint from 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.5 seconds.
With Genesis being a premium brand we’d expect the GV60 to offer this level of performance, at least as an option, or possibly ever greater performance. Even the Hyundai IONIQ 5 doesn’t get close, although there has been some strong suggestions of an N model being in the pipeline that’ll likely equal or trump the Kia (in acceleration).
In other areas, the prototype Genesis GV60 that we saw showcased a clear elongated hatchback shape. There has since been evidence of rounded-over taillights and headlights, a bit like the new GV70, as well as a separate rear spoiler on the hatch lid.
Big 21-inch wheels wearing special Michelin Pilot Sport ‘EV’ tyres will be available, developed especially for Genesis with ‘GOE’ printing on the side like other Genesis models. From what we saw, they measure 255/50 (on the front).
As far as we understand, Genesis is doing some testing and tuning in Australia, however, the final setup is yet to be locked in. The Australian market version might receive some local-specific differences over other markets, but these, if any, are likely to be limited.
In any case the new model is expected to be unveiled in the next few weeks, according to international reports. We’ll have more to report very soon. Stay tuned.
