The Genesis GV60 will be dual-motor, all-wheel drive-only in Australia at launch, but the brand’s local division isn’t ruling out an entry-level single-motor version pending demand.
Speaking at the Australian media launch for the GV60 and Electrified G80 in Melbourne, Luke Croucher, product planning manager for Genesis Australia, said there are “no plans” for a GV60 RWD, though confirmed the single-motor drivetrain had been homologated for our market.
“Rear-wheel drive is available to global markets. It’s been certified for Australia as per our norm – we certify as many drivetrains as we possibly can,” Mr Croucher said.
“But, we don’t have any plans to introduce it in the near future.”
GV60 AWD
When quizzed as to why the GV60 RWD didn’t make the cut for the Australian market – relinquishing some performance for likely better range, around the 500km mark – Mr Croucher said the brand’s market research led the company to prioritise performance and specification over the longest range.
“The way Genesis is positioned and what we found in our experiences with our EV customers and market research we conducted, we found a lot of early adopters for EVs are very much about a particular range box – once the range box has been ticked, maximum power and maximum specification [is what they’re looking for],” Mr Croucher said.
Mr Croucher added, however, that the local arm is “leaving lots of options open” – indicating it could be on the table for a future launch should market demand and supply from its global parent allow.
Currently available in the Korean domestic market, the Genesis GV60 RWD draws upon the same 168kW/350Nm electric motor and 77.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack combination as long-range single-motor versions of the related Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.
According to the stricter Korean efficiency standard, the GV60 RWD offers the most driving range of the three-drivetrain line-up, offering 451 kilometres on a single charge – though the Korean numbers don’t tell the whole story.
GV60 AWD
The same standard lists the GV60 AWD at 380-400km and the GV60 Performance AWD at 368km, whereas Australian specifications (based on the WLTP standard) list the GV60 AWD and Performance AWD at 470km and 466km respectively.
Using local specs as a guide, the GV60 RWD would offer more than 500 kilometres of driving range per charge. For reference, the Kia EV6 Air RWD quotes up to 528 kilometres.
The GV60 RWD’s entry-level positioning, even with equivalent spec to the current Luxury Package-equipped line-up, would likely see it dip under the $100,000 price barrier as well – given the GV60 AWD starts at $103,700 plus on-road costs.
Genesis Australia is launching the GV60 this month with two variants, both coming as standard with the Luxury Package, usually a circa-$10,000 option on other Genesis lines.
There’s the 234kW/605Nm GV60 AWD, and the 360kW/700Nm GV60 Performance AWD – the latter currently the most powerful E-GMP model available, until the 430kW Kia EV6 GT lobs later this year.
Hyundai has also confirmed it’s working on an Ioniq 5 N, due to launch sometime in 2023.
GV60 Performance AWD
MORE: Everything Genesis GV60
