Genesis naming system laid bare

HYUNDAI Motor Corporation has taken no fewer than 24 global naming trademarks, all starting with G, to cover potential models for its Genesis luxury marque line-up to rival European and Japanese brands.

Apart from standard sedan G badges such as G70 and G80 that are set to appear in Genesis cars in showrooms around the world, including Australia, this year, the variations include GV, GT and GC to cover other body styles.

Hyundai let GV out of the bag as its Genesis SUV designation when it showed the five-door GV80 Concept large SUV wagon at the recent New York motor show.

GT and GC remain under wraps, but we will take a wild guess and suggest GT is for a sportscar range and GC is a coupe line-up, either of the traditional two-door sports variety or the new-age low-roof “coupe” sedan or SUV type in the modern trend.

The Korean company appears to be allowing for four model sizes in each of the lines, with the designations 60, 70, 80 and 90 in all four line-ups.

For example, the G70, which was shown in concept form at the New York show last year and has been spotted under test in Australia, is a BMW 3 Series/Mercedes C-Class-sized sedan, while the G80 is the new name for the one-size larger Genesis sedan that is already on sale in Australia.

We assume that the G60 name will apply to a smaller luxury car, perhaps to rival the Benz A-Class or Audi A3, while the G90 is known to be a left-hand-drive limousine at the top end of the sedan range.

Trademark applications submitted in South Korea last year show the same 60/70/80/90 numbering system for the GV, GC and GT.

Interestingly, the GT and GC have four extra numbers each to provide for potential extra variants – 64, 74, 84 and 94 – while the GV SUV line also has an extra format – 65, 75, 85 and 95.

Hyundai Motor Company Australia (HMCA) public relations general manager Bill Thomas told GoAuto that such trademark applications were made directly from Hyundai’s head office, frequently without the knowledge of the Australian team.

Apart from the upcoming G70 and renamed G80 that are set to be rolled out later this year via a network of 30 Genesis showrooms across Australia, the Genesis rollout is set to continue in 2018 with the first of the GV SUVs, most likely the GV80.

While the concept at New York was powered by a fanciful plug-in fuel-cell powertrain, we would expect the production version to come with a conventional petrol engine and perhaps a hybrid.

As GoAuto reported from the Paris motor show last year, the first production Genesis SUV is believed to be based on the same platform as the rear-wheel-drive G80 sedan.

The GV80 is expected to be followed by a smaller, X3/Q5-type SUV, potentially the GV70 based on the upcoming G70 sedan, which itself will be shared with sister company Kia’s upcoming Stinger sports sedan.

Ultimately, HMCA is planning a five-model range in Australia by 2020, although the trademarks suggest that could go much larger if the company starts filling the trademarked badges with fresh variants over time.