Genesis Will Add Hybrid Before Next-Gen GV80 Arrives

The next generation of the luxury GV80 SUV from Genesis is going to be late. But there are good reasons for the delays, including that Genesis is making it an EV. But a new report says that the Korean luxury brand isn’t planning to leave the current first-generation model to wither on dealer lots.

Instead, it will be launching a hybrid system with better fuel economy for the current GV80, a move that will almost certainly bolster sales of the products for buyers concerned with rising gas prices or looking for even greater levels of refinement.

Next GV80 Delayed Over Platform Changes As It Gets Bigger

First, the second-generation Genesis GV80. That model has been pushed back to a 2028 reveal, say new reports. That appears to be calendar year 2028, not model year, so it’s not going to be shown in 2027. It will be built on the company’s eM platform, the same one that will underpin the upcoming and extra-luxurious GV90, an EV.

Ironically, that platform, which was developed with help from Samsung, was meant to shorten development times for models built on it. It’s not clear if these delays were due to necessary further changes or refinements or if Genesis was simply responding to market demands. It was originally planned to debut in late 2026.

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Korean Car Blog reports that the second-generation GV80 will become wider and have a larger body. It will also have a new air suspension on more grades of the vehicle and is expected to offer a hybrid system, possibly the company’s new extended-range EV hybrid system currently in development.

The GV80 Is Going To Become A Better All-Rounder

In the meantime, the current GV80 will also get hybrid power, according to the report. The current GV80 was refreshed for this model year and has also added a crossover coupe variant for the first time. The 2025 GV80 offers a 300-horsepower 2.5-liter turbo-four or a 375-hp 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6.

The new engine would be a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with a hybrid drive system. It would launch sometime between next year and 2027 and would deliver better fuel economy and likely a quieter and more refined drive than the gas engines. It’s not clear if it would be more powerful than either of the existing engines.

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It, too, is expected to be an EREV system. Like the Ram Ramcharger or Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, it would use the engine to create electricity rather than turn the wheels directly. At least in most situations.

With the hybrid arriving so late in the life of the model, and the EV already delayed to 2028, it’s possible that the hybrid could live longer, either as the result of a further EV delay, or selling both at the same time to appeal to a wider range of new-vehicle buyers. There aren’t many ways to improve the current GV80, but this is certainly one of them.

Source: Korean Car Blog