Genesis GV60 to be offered in dual-motor AWD guise priced from $103,700

July 3, 2022July 3, 2022 Toby Hagon 2941 Views

The delayed Genesis GV60 will be priced from $103,700 before on-road and dealer costs, representing a $27,800 premium over the dual-motor version of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 it shares so much with beneath the skin.

The GV60 has a classier presentation and a lot more tech than its Hyundai sibling, including a crystal sphere system to select Drive or Reverse, exterior facial recognition and available Boost and Drift modes. The GV60 will also be able to accept over-the-air software updates that over time could even change how it drives.

That price is for the GV60 Luxury – the first examples of which have started arriving in the country – that for now will be the entry point to the mid-sized all-electric SUV range.

The Genesis GV60’s “crystal sphere” is a core part of the new EV’s interior

It gets an all-wheel drive system courtesy of two electric motors – a 160kW motor for the rear and a 74kW unit up front – for a combined 234kW of power. Torque peaks at 605Nm and a 77.4kWh battery provides a WLTP range of about 470km.

The GV60 Luxury rides on 20-inch wheels.

Genesis will also offer a more powerful and better equipped GV60 Performance variant priced from $110,700 before costs.

It picks up some of the more high tech features, including that Drift mode that allows the car to perform rear wheel slides – under the right conditions. There’s also a Boost mode that provides 10-second power boosts to drop the 0-100km/h time to 4.0 seconds.

The GV60 Performance uses two electric motors that can provide up to 180kW when using Boost mode for a combined output of 360kW/700Nm.

It also rides on 21-inch wheels and tyres, which drops the range slightly to 465km.

Genesis has also certified the single-motor version of the GV60 for sale in Australia – it uses a 168kW motor to drive only the rear wheels – but it doesn’t appear that car will initially be offered here.

Sharing its electrical architecture with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 – as well as the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Kia EV9 – the GV60 is the start of a three-pronged EV attack from the fledgling luxury brand.

Genesis will also imminently launch the GV70 and G80 Electrified, two models that share an ICE architecture with existing models. As with the GV60, the arrival of those two models in Australia has been delayed by months due to global supply chain challenges.

The GV60, on the other hand, was designed from the outset as an EV, something that generally brings benefits with space and packaging by optimally positioning the battery pack and electric motor/s.

It also uses a more advanced 800V electrical system that makes it one of the fastest charging EVs in the country.

As with the Ioniq 5 and EV6, the GV60 can charge at up to 240kW when using a 350kW/800V charger.

It allows for a 10-80 percent charge in as little as 18 minutes, in turn adding more than 300km of range.

It shares its 2900mm wheelbase and 1890mm width with the Kia EV6 but is 30mm taller. Its 4515mm length is 180mm shorter than the EV6 and 120mm shorter than the Ioniq 5.

But with all that difference in length the GV60 should provide decent interior space similar to that of the Kia and Hyundai.

As for getting hold of a Genesis GV60, like the Ioniq 5 and EV6 supply is expected to be limited; initial allocations for Australia could involve only a few hundred cars per year.