Since its 2015 brand debut, Genesis has been a slow starter. Despite critical acclaim for its three sport sedans, it couldn’t get a crossover to market until the GV80 in late 2020. But it now has two crossovers on sale and its first battery-electric vehicle coming in 2022.
“The combination of entering the SUV segment and entering it with an outstanding product like the GV80 is really what’s catapulted Genesis into the forefront of the luxury-SUV discussion,” Tedros Mengiste, executive director of sales operations at Genesis Motor North America, told Automotive News.
“With the GV70, that model should be the No. 1-selling Genesis model in our lineup. We just keep going from strength to strength,” Mengiste said. The GV80, for example, is outselling the three Genesis sedans combined through the first five months of the year.
Despite its inventory and regulatory setbacks in 2020, Genesis has been less impacted this year than some of its luxury rivals. The Korean brand has not removed any features from its vehicles because of chip shortages, Mengiste said, and supply has been solid.
“Our colleagues in Korea have done an outstanding job of maintaining Genesis production at a very critical moment,” the executive said. “Gaining momentum is critical and we’ve been able to uphold that.”
