Halo supercars have proven an effective means for luxury automakers especially to showcase what their brand stands for and attract customers into showrooms. But Hyundai’s Genesis brand isn’t about to go down that same path.
“If you need a halo vehicle and all that, that’s not our spiel,” Genesis brand chief Manfred Fitzgerald told Aussie publication Motoring at the unveiling of the GV80 concept in New York recently. “Alternative propulsion systems are at the core of this brand,” said Fitzgerald. “It’s a level playing field – the internal combustion engine’s dominance of performance will go away.”
That in and of itself wouldn’t preclude Genesis from making an electric sports car of some sort, but the automaker doesn’t seem interested. Contrary to its Japanese rivals across the straits, Korean automakers have traditionally demonstrated a particularly aversion to the idea of making a halo supercar. Despite the concepts, Genesis’ sister brands Hyundai and Kia have never produced a supercar – neither have Daewoo, Renault Samsung, or SsangYong.
This contrary to other luxury brands with which Genesis is now aiming to compete. Lexus did the LFA, Acura offers the NSX, Audi the R8, and Mercedes the AMG GT (and forthcoming AMG hypercar). Genesis, then, seems more inclined to join the likes of Infiniti, BMW, Jaguar, Volvo, Lincoln, and Cadillac in keeping out of this particular fight – and away from other costly attention-grabbing exercises like launching a top-flight F1 or Le Mans racing team.
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