When the new 2021 Genesis GV80 goes on sale later this year, it will be the brand's first SUV. Since Genesis was launched five years ago, the luxury arm of Hyundai has been surviving on its range of impressive sedans, which now includes the G70, G80, and G90. Right now, the G70 is the Korean automaker’s best-selling model, but that will change quickly once the new GV80 arrives. In fact, the SUV is so good it’s going to double and possibly triple the brand’s sales volume. The company’s CEO calls it a “luxury flagship SUV.”
Already on sale in South Korea where it is built, the seven-passenger mid-size crossover uses a new rear-wheel drive platform it will share with the next generation of the G80 sedan. That’s right, it’s not just a fancied-up Hyundai Palisade, which is based on a front-wheel drive platform. It will compete with a long list of three-row luxury suvs, including the Lincoln Aviator, Audi Q7, BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Acura MDX, and Lexus RXL.