Genesis’ BMW X6 rival tackles the Nurburgring

The forthcoming ‘coupe SUV’ version of the Genesis GV80 has been spied in prototype form undergoing testing at the Nurburgring.

A video published to YouTube by user CarSpyMedia shows the GV80 Coupe appears to looks very much like the regular wagon model from the front, but has a more rakish rear end. It’s very similar to the likes of the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe, among other ‘coupe SUVs’.

Genesis first previewed this model with the GV80 Coupe Concept, revealed as a virtually production-ready model at the company’s flagship retail space in New York City. The company also confirmed the vehicle would enter production.

At this stage it’s still unclear when Genesis will reveal the production-specification GV80 Coupe, though reports out of Korea have suggested it will enter production early in 2024 along with a facelifted version of the regular GV80.

The reports also indicated it would only be offered with the top 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine, though Genesis hasn’t confirmed powertrain details yet.

The Korean Car Blog also reports the GV80 will gain the same 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged V6 as the long-wheelbase version of the flagship G90 sedan, featuring a 48V electric supercharger designed to improve efficiency and responsiveness.

In the G90, the inclusion of this supercharger bumps outputs to 305kW of power and 549Nm of torque from 279kW and 530Nm, the latter outputs being the same as seen in the GV80 3.5T.

All local versions of the regular GV80 wagon with the 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine were recently axed in a move to reduce complexity and toward electrification.

GV80 Coupe Concept

A Genesis Australia spokesperson confirmed rear- and all-wheel drive GV80 wagon variants with the 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine accounted for 25 per cent of sales.

The GV80 wagon is still available locally with a choice of 3.5-litre V6 turbo-petrol and 3.0-litre inline-six turbo-diesel engines. The latter was recently reported to be getting the axe globally.

At this stage it’s unclear if the GV80 Coupe will carry a price premium over the GV80 wagon. The latter recently had its base price increase beyond $100,000 locally.

Until the end of July, Genesis has sold a total of 208 GV80s. It has been outsold by the Audi Q7 (1043 sales), BMW X5 (2105 sales), Land Rover Defender (1956 sales), Mercedes-Benz GLE wagon (1726 sales), and Volvo XC90 (793 sales).

GV80 wagon

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