Watching Genesis’ cars evolve and mature over the years has been interesting. Originally part of Hyundai’s lineup, Genesis stood up as a brand in its own right at the end of 2015. Those early Hyundai-badged Genesises (Geneses?) were impressive considering the H on the nose, the dealerships they were found in, and the price out the door. The soft bigotry of low expectations, perhaps.
As Genesis has become its own thing, its vehicles no longer get that kind of benefit of the doubt. They have to stand against competitors from established luxury brands, the old-timers from Europe and now-middle-aged Japanese competitors. Recruiting the people associated with many of Bentley and Audi’s more memorable designs was a good move in that regard.
This GV80 Coupe’s design proved to be a hit with neighbors and the general public—few cars we’ve tested in the past couple of years have garnered as many compliments. The coupe was a relatively recent addition to the normal GV80 SUV, sacrificing a little volume at the back for a rakish ducktail rear end. All four corners are wrapped in what’s now Genesis’ light signature, a pair of thin horizontal stripes with microlens arrays supplying the brightness at the front.
