Genesis GV90 inbound as luxury six-seater with EV power

Genesis is ramping up to launch a new electric luxury SUV to rival the Range Rover EV and Volvo EX90. 

The GV90 is effectively Genesis’s take on the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9, sharing its fundamental platform and innards with those family-focused seven-seaters, but applying a premium sheen. 

As prototypes hit the Nürburgring in preparation for a 2026 launch, it is clear just how loyal the GV90 remains to the design of the imposing Neolun concept Genesis revealed last year. 

Naturally, the reverse-opening rear doors are unlikely to make it to showrooms (as are the hardwood floor, rotating front seats and enormous pop-out infotainment screen), but the Neolun’s imposing, monolithic silhouette will remain unaltered, along with the distinctive twin wraparound LED light bars at each end - a Genesis hallmark. 

Given it will be closely related to the EV9 and Ioniq 9, the GV90 is highly likely to also be offered with three rows of seats, though in keeping with Genesis’s premium billing, it will probably come exclusively with the roomier six-seat arrangement, with a rotating middle row to facilitate a more social layout. 

Genesis has yet to confirm any details about the GV90, but the fact that it’s testing at the ’Ring suggests it is planning to launch the flagship in Europe, where it will be one of the largest electric cars on sale, broadly matching its platform-mates at just over five metres long and nearly two metres wide.

It will effectively serve as an electric replacement for the short-lived, ICE-powered GV80, which was on sale in the UK only for three years before being pulled from showrooms, having sold around 200 examples. 

Allowing for slight variations in power output and efficiency figures, the GV90’s specification is expected to roughly match the Kia and Hyundai. The Kia has a 95kWh battery that’s good for a maximum of 349 miles of range in the most efficient variant, while the Hyundai’s larger 110kWh pack bumps that up to 385 miles.

Both of those cars offer the choice between rear- and all-wheel-drive powertrains, topping out at 501bhp in the recently revealed Kia EV9 GT – which could provide the basis for a performance-focused version of the GV90 under Genesis’s new sporting brand Magma. 

Irrespective of battery capacity and power, the GV90 will be officially capable of charging at speeds of up to 350kW.

Further details of Genesis's plans for the GV90 will be revealed as the market launch approaches, but naturally it will command a premium over its more mainstream-focused cousins.