Here at Gear Patrol, we love what Genesis has been doing with its cars lately. Vehicles like the new G80 sedan and GV80 SUV look even more expensive than they are; they're lovely to drive; and offer a compelling value proposition compared to rivals from Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Now, the brand is offering a glimpse of its future with the GV60 electric SUV...and that future appears to be a big hatchback.
The GV60 won't be Genesis's first electric car — there's an electric G80 model on the way — but it will be the first model to run on Hyundai's E-GMP dedicated EV platform, which underpins both the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6 electric cars. Genesis didn't provide much technical information beyond that, but performance and range will probably line up with the aforementioned corporate siblings. (They did say the "V" stands for versatility and the smaller "60" designation emphasizes its sportiness, for what it's worth.)
The looks, however, diverge greatly from its relatives. While Hyundai went for a retro-modern look with the Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6 went sharp, sporty and futuristic, the Genesis GV60 looks like a now-conventional, fastback-coupe-with-a-spoiler-SUV. To my eyes, it's merely all right — which feels discordant as the rest of the Genesis lineup has set the aesthetic bar so high. The lime green color on the first car shown definitely imparts a more youthful and sportier vibe than Genesis's typical conservative and Bentley-esque color palette. Whether that color constitutes "athletic elegance," as Genesis likes to call its design language, is open to interpretation.
From a pareidolia perspective, the GV60 front end kind of looks like a person with a chin strap shouting at you.
The GV60 interior looks higher-end than the Ioniq 5 or EV6, at least — Genesis went all-in on the luxury details to help differentiate it. The GV60 features a new version of Genesis's wing emblem that is 80 percent thinner and uses a Guilloché pattern cribbed from luxury watches. The gear shifter on the "floating console" is a crystal sphere meant to not just function but also create an "emotional connection" with the driver.
Genesis did not say when the electric GV60 will go on sale in the U.S. — speculation has it coming in 2022 as a 2023 model year vehicle — or how much it will cost, so stay tuned for added info about this new EV as we learn more.
