Last November, just after Hyundai announced that it was turning the Genesis name into its own premium brand, we learned that there would be a product invasion by 2020, It only took two months for the new Genesis brand to release the G90 at the Detroit Auto Show, and by March of 2016, we were looking at the Genesis New York Concept. Now, four months later, Genesis has announced the Genesis G80 at Busan Motor Show. It looks to be about the same size as the G90, and has a similar front grille, but it has a number of exterior design cues that set it apart from its slightly older brother.
Details are rather scant for now, but we have a couple of images to go by and some information from various sources to help us get by until Genesis drops all the juicy details. Keep in mind that the G80 is nowhere near as wild as that Genesis New York Concept that we saw back in late March, but it still has a lot of appealing characteristics and is another huge step forward for a brand like Hyundai that we once thought would never step into the premium or luxury segment.
Things have changed a lot since Hyundai came to U.S. shores, and now that it has the premium Genesis brand ready to kick off, things are really getting spicy for the automaker. With that said, let’s take a good look at the second official Genesis model and what it brings to the table for the new premium brand.
Continue reading to learn more about the 2017 Genesis G80.
Exterior
On the outside, there are some design cues that are borrowed from the G90, like the front grille, for instance. It is the same shape and size, and has the horizontal slats running from one side to another. It also features the same LED fog lamps sitting above the corner air inlets of the front fascia. The overall design of the fascia is rather different, though. A chrome insert wraps around from the inner point of the fog lamps to create a “C” shape around the lamp before elevating a bit and crossing the fascia below the grille. This insert essentially separates the corner inlets from the air dam below.
On the outside, there are some design cues that are borrowed from the G90, like the front grille, for instance
The headlights are also of a different design. Compared to the G90, they aren’t as long, so they are recessed into the body a bit more up front. They also feature a near 90-degree bend out the outside, lower corner and come to a sharp point on the inside with the lower point sitting closer to the grille than the upper point. In my opinion, it is actually a better look that what we saw on the G90.
The hood features a couple of defining lines toward the outside edges, and the Genesis logo is perched above the grille, but on the sides, there is even more to talk about. First off, we don’t see a fender gill that we saw on the New York Concept, which is actually a relief because this car would look rather odd with such a design. There is a distinct body line that runs from the outside point of the headlights to the rear of the vehicle. The character line starts off thin but gets sharper as you move further back on the fender. It eventually passes through the door handles and terminates at the lower point of the rear taillight. Down below the is a small recess in the body, with a chromed piece of body cladding attached to the bottom of the fender and both doors.
We can’t make out the rear end from the pictures available, but compared to the G90, it should be a pretty big departure. We can tell that the deck lid swoops upward in the rear, which should act similar to that of a small fin. The taillights are thinner and more bubbly that on the G90, they wrap around farther on the rear quarter and look to extend onto the decklid. Down below the G80 likely has the same rectangular exhaust outlets and a simple insert in between.
We have yet to receive the images, but the G80 debuted with a sport trim level that apparently features more aggressive exterior styling, with a flashier grille, larger air dam, four oval exhaust outlets, and a rear diffuser. Eventually, the Sport trim will be debuted to the rest of the world, so stay tuned for updates on the front.
Interior
Note: Genesis G90 pictured here.
We have yet to receive images of the G80’s interior, but I would expect it to be similar to that of the G90. Expect to see a large infotainment display screen integrated into the face of the dash to go with a digital instrument cluster the rivals that of the best offered from brands like Mercedes 
, Audi, and BMW . The center console should feature the same overall style with a simple shifter handle, inductive charging area, and an armrest storage area. There will also be a CD player and audio controls on the forward end of the center console. Considering this model is just a bit smaller than the G90, there won’t be quite as much room for passengers, but it should still be plenty comfortable.
Expect to see tablets attached to the front seatbacks for rear passengers as seen in the G90. If those don’t come as standard equipment, they will surely be available as an option – at least on the higher trim levels. The rear may not be quite as roomy, but I suspect it will also have the fold down center console for rear passengers that offers the inductive charging pad and some minor infotainment controls. The seats will likely be wrapped in a decent leather, have perforated inserts in the center, and feature some kind of contrast stitching to match the darker trim elements.
Of course, this is all speculation at this point, but we’ll update this review with images and all information as soon as it becomes available.
Drivetrain
Note: Genesis G90’s engine pictured here.
We’re also expecting to see a hybrid variant of the G80 at some point since that is a pretty big deal these days.
At this time, the drivetrain of the G80 is a bit of a mystery too, but some sources are indicating that it has the same 3.3-liter V-6 that is found in the entry-level G90. If that is the case, the G80 should benefit from 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque. Power should be sent to the wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission and should be offered with all-wheel drive, as Hyundai’s H-TRAC AWD system is compatible with the 3.3-liter.
We’re also expecting to see a hybrid variant of the G80 at some point since that is a pretty big deal these days. Also, it’s quite possible that the Sport trim we know nothing about could offer up more power from the G90’s 5.0-liter V-8. If that’s the case, at least one trim of the G80 could have upward of 420 ponies and 383 pound-feet of twist.
Prices
At this point, pricing is obviously far from being available, as we don’t even know what the G90 will cost. We expect the G90 to fetch close to $65,000 as a rough estimate, so the G80 will be positioned below that, possibly as low as $55,000 or $60,000.
Competition
BMW 5 Series
With the new Genesis brand looking to compete with the Germans in the Premium segment, the BMW 5 Series should be the perfect competitor. The 5 Series ushered in a new generation for 2011 and was given a facelift for 2014. By 2017, the same time we’ll be seeing the G80 hit showrooms, the 5 Series should be in its seventh generation. While we’ve only seen spy shots of the next-gen 5 Series, we expect it to have a revised front and rear end, new exterior light elements, and some new technology on the inside.
As of the time of this writing, the 5 Series starts out at $50,200 but climbs to as high as $68,600 for the range-topping 550i xDrive. There is also the ActiveHybrid 5, which will compete against a hybrid version of the G80 and starts out at $62,100. Pricing for the next generation shouldn’t change much, but expect to see the common bump in pricing that is normally associated with new generation models.
Read our full review on the BMW 5 Series here.
Audi A6
Competing against the BMW 5 Series means the G80 will also be fighting with the Audi A6 for dominance in the premium market. The current-gen model has been in the fold since 2012 and was finally updated for the 2016 model year. It now features Audi’s new Singleframe grille, LED headlights, a 4G LTE hotspot, and Audi’s MMI infotainment system, among other things.
The A6 is offered with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder that delivers 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet, a 3.0-liter that delivers 333 horsepower and 325 pound-feet, or a turbodiesel six-cylinder that delivers 240 horsepower and 428 pound-feet. All engines mate to an eight-speed automatic transmission and can be equipped with all-wheel drive.
The A6 currently starts out at just $46,200, making it the least expensive model between the BMW 5 Series and the G80. Pricing increases to as high as $63,700 for the range-topping A6 Prestige with the TDI turbodiesel mill. Here in the U.S., we only get the gasoline mills, so the range tops out with the A6 Prestige 3.0T Prestige at $61,600.
Read our full review on the Audi A6 here.
Conclusion
At this point, we don’t have a whole lot to go on for the G80, but so far it, like the Genesis brand as a whole, is shaping up pretty well. Expect Genesis to spill the beans about the G80 sometime in the near future as the brand seems like it is about ready to kick off. That said, there is still plenty of information that needs to be released, and we’ll be waiting to update you will all the details when they become available. So check back often, and until then, enjoy the few images we have of the G80. From the look of things, it could turn out to be a very nice model and might give its German rivals a good run for their money.