Genesis has revealed the interior and exterior of its first electric vehicle on a dedicated EV platform.
The 2022 Genesis GV60 shares its E-GMP architecture with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.
The GV60 will launch locally in the first half of 2022 alongside two other Genesis-branded electric vehicles.
Genesis’ now clearly defined design elements, like the crest-shaped grille and split-level Quad Lamp lighting, are present but the GV60 has a distinctive visual identity.
Like the Ioniq 5 and EV6, its styling blurs the line somewhat between car and crossover, though the GV60 is more rounded.
Up front, the crest-shaped grille has been flattened and positioned lower than on other Genesis products, and is bracketed by angular air intakes.
The grille isn’t closed off, and Genesis says the large opening is designed to increase the cooling efficiency of the GV60’s batteries.
A slimmer logo, inspired by luxury watches, sits on a clamshell bonnet.
The rear is steeply raked but there’s a rounded look overall. While the GV70’s rear is also quite round, the GV60 looks quite different with uniquely-shaped tail lights and a curious C/D-pillar treatment.
The GV60 also debuts Genesis’ first digital side mirrors, while flush electric door handles deploy when you approach the car.
Step inside and there’s a screen-heavy interior, with a large digital instrument cluster and infotainment touchscreen in one array plus a display for each of the digital mirrors at either end of the dash.
Touch-capacitive climate controls and hard buttons for infotainment shortcuts are grouped in a neat capsule-shaped pod below the touchscreen and air vents.
The Crystal Sphere isn’t an artefact in an Indiana Jones film but rather the transmission shifter. It glows when the car is off, and then rotates when you turn on the car to reveal the gear controls.
It sits on a centre console that is elevated like a bridge, and also includes a pair of large cupholders, controls for functions like the heated and ventilated seats, and Genesis’ classy knurled metal infotainment controller.
Genesis is one of the more adventurous luxury brands when it comes to interior colours, offering – among other options – green and blue interiors in many of its vehicles. The featured GV60 features a blue interior with lime green contrast stitching.
Genesis says under its model name structure that the smaller the number, the greater the athleticism.
It therefore promises the GV60 will be the brand’s most athletic model yet.
Genesis has yet to confirm outputs for the GV60.
The Ioniq 5 comes standard with a 58kWh battery pack and a single electric motor with 125kW of power and 350Nm of torque, good for an 8.5-second run to 100km/h.
The dual-motor all-wheel drive model ups those outputs to 173kW and 605Nm, and drops the 100km/h sprint to an i30 N-rivalling 6.1 seconds.
Kia EV6 
Hyundai Ioniq 5
Opting for the longer-range 72.6kWh model gets you 160kW and 350Nm in two-wheel drive models, and a serious 225kW and 605Nm from the dual-motor setup. The latter can do 0-100km/h in 5.1 seconds.
An even more powerful model can be found in the Kia EV6 line-up.
The flagship, all-wheel drive GT uses a 77.4kWh battery and a dual-motor all-wheel drive set up with 430kW of power, 740Nm of torque, and a 0-100km/h time of just 3.5 seconds.
To help get the power to the ground, the EV6 GT adds an electronic limited-slip differential.
Maximum range (in the long-range, single-motor Ioniq 5) is 480km on the WLTP test cycle, while the same configuration in the EV6 yields 510km.
The GV60 won’t be the only EV launching under the fledgling Genesis brand.
The company has confirmed an electric version of the G80 sedan, called the Electrified G80, will launch locally in the first quarter of 2022.
We’re also set to get an EV version of the GV70 in 2022.
