Hyundai Genesis: the rear-drive sedan that launched a brand

The Hyundai Genesis is the executive sedan Hyundai built in two generations between 2008 and 2016. It was Hyundai’s first serious rear-wheel-drive luxury car, benchmarked against the BMW 5 Series, and it was so successful that the Genesis name was spun off into a separate luxury division in 2015; the car itself was renamed the Genesis G80 in 2017.

Hyundai Genesis at a glance

History of the Hyundai Genesis

Hyundai showed the car in concept form as the Concept Genesis at the 2007 New York auto show, then announced the production version at the 2008 North American International Auto Show. Internally it was the BH model. The body design took three years and the whole programme cost about 500 million dollars over a development period of 23 months, with reliability testing that ran to 800,000 miles. Hyundai benchmarked the BMW 5 Series (E60) during development and claimed that the Genesis body in white was 14 per cent stiffer in torsion than the BMW’s. The car earned a five-star rating in every category from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The first generation went on sale worldwide in 2008, except in Europe. Equipment included speed-sensitive rack-and-pinion steering, four-wheel disc brakes and multi-link front and five-link rear suspension. Buyers could choose a V8 with 53 per cent of its weight at the front or one of two V6 engines with a 52/48 split. American cars came with cruise control, automatic headlights, dual-zone climate control, leather upholstery and steering wheel, heated power front seats, keyless entry and starting, and a seven-speaker audio system, with Lexicon systems of 14 or 17 speakers on the options list.

The Tau V8 was Hyundai’s first domestic V8. For 2008 and 2009 the 4.6-litre unit produced 375 hp at 6,500 rpm and 333 lb·ft at 3,500 rpm; from a midyear change for 2010 it made 385 hp on premium fuel, and 378 hp on regular. Hyundai quoted under six seconds to 60 mph, while Car and Driver measured 5.3 seconds and Motor Trend 5.5. The 3.8-litre Lambda V6 produced 306 hp in Korean specification and 290 hp in the United States, with 264 hp from the 3.3-litre version in some markets. V8 cars used a ZF six-speed automatic, V6 cars an Aisin unit of the same ratio count.

The second generation, the DH, was shown in Seoul in November 2013 and then at the 2014 North American International Auto Show and the Toronto show. On 4 November 2015 Hyundai announced that the Genesis name and its luxury models would move to a separate division, Genesis Motor, and in 2017 the second-generation Hyundai Genesis became the Genesis G80. In China the first-generation car was sold as the Hyundai Rohens.

Design and features

• Rear-wheel drive: Hyundai’s first serious rear-drive luxury sedan.
• Own V8: the Tau 4.6-litre was the company’s first domestic V8 engine.
• BMW benchmark: developed against the E60 5 Series, with a stiffer body claimed.
• Brand starter: the car gave its name to the Genesis luxury division.

Hyundai Genesis versions

• Genesis BH (2008–2013): the first generation, V6 and V8 engines.
• Genesis DH (2013–2016): the second generation, later renamed G80.
• Genesis Rohens: the Chinese-market name for the first generation.
• Genesis G80: the name the second-generation car took in 2017.

The Genesis followed the Equus as Hyundai’s luxury flagship, and its smaller relative in the range was the Grandeur. More Hyundai models are in the Hyundai collection.

Video: Hyundai Genesis Test

Video by Motorvision Deutschland on YouTube.

Sources

• Hyundai Genesis, English Wikipedia: development, equipment, engines, generations, Genesis division