Genesis Brand Launches its First Model, G90

The new Genesis G90 full-size luxury sedan, the first vehicle that will top the new Genesis brand’s luxury car line-up, was unveiled today at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. The G90 will compete at the top of the luxury car market with world-class technological innovations and the highest levels of refinement, craftsmanship, convenience, and dynamic performance.

Designed by the team forming the company’s new “Prestige Design Division” that will craft the visual identity of all six Genesis model by 2021, the G90 is the first realization of the brand’s ‘Athletic Elegance’ design style. The G90’s silhouette is powerful and refined, from its long hood to its sophisticated rear deck contours. While inside the cabin, the finest materials meet human-centred ergonomics to provide occupants with luxurious comfort.

Human-centred Technological Innovation
With technological innovation at its core, G90 features the Sensory Surround Safety system, which brings together advanced technologies that cover the spectrum from driver alertness and focus to occupant safety. Sensory Surround safety includes Autonomous Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Adaptive Cruise Control, Active Blind Spot Detection, and Lane Keep Assist.

Best-in-class Luxury Refinement
Benefitting from an intensive four-year development program by an 800-strong team, the G90 has best-in-class refinement thanks to extensive work on the car’s NVH characteristics and occupant environment. Every detail of the interior has been crafted to continue the car’s human focus.

Advanced ergonomics analysis has dictated the positioning of driver controls and the passenger comfort and entertainment features, while materials are sourced from the finest artisans around the world. For example, the seats are covered in semi-aniline leather developed in concert with Conceria Pasubio S.p.A., specialists in Italian leather craftsmanship. In fact, a theme of first-class emerged when working on occupant comfort. The G90 offers seats that feature multiple ranges of electronically-controlled adjustment and have been approved by a German campaign for healthier backs, Aktion Gesunder Rücken.

Optimal ride comfort and road holding was achieved by combining an advanced HTRAC All-Wheel Drive system (standard equipment in Canada) with the company’s first application of Genesis Adaptive Control Suspension.

Refined Performance
Driving the car, owners will notice refined performance. This is central to the Genesis brand’s character, with development teams carrying out rigorous performance testing of the G90 at the Nürburgring racing circuit in Germany and the California Proving Ground in the U.S. Mojave Desert. Despite the car’s responsive characteristics, the interior environment remains refined. Power options include either a twin-turbocharged 3.3-litre GDI V6 or 5.0-liter GDI V8.

The Genesis G90 will become available in Canada in late 2016 and pricing will be revealed closer to launch. The roll-out plans for the Genesis brand will be announced at a later date.

Styling
Formed by Hyundai Motor’s new Prestige Design Division, the distinctive appearance of the G90 exudes confidence and originality. Penned under the oversight of Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer, G90 expresses the first interpretation of the brand’s hallmark design style of ‘Athletic Elegance,’ which harmonizes beauty and elegance of movement with dynamism and an explosion of energy.

Exterior Design
The exterior design of the car brings a depth of grace when parked or in motion. In crafting the appearance of G90, the Prestige Design Division aimed to capture the car’s strength and originality, while presenting charm through its innovative styling and proportions.

At the front, the G90’s identity is centred around a Genesis-family styling feature, the ‘CREST’ grille, and crowned with the new winged-feathers of the Genesis emblem. Powerfully-proportioned, the G90 combines a long hood with short overhangs, a design feature that accentuates the model’s rear-wheel-drive biased architecture yet, with HTRAC All-Wheel Drive being standard equipment, delivers all-weather traction. The sharp Bi-LED signature headlamps (V8 model) flow around the front corners of the car’s fascia to the fenders – a key feature of the new family of Genesis-brand cars. Standard LED daytime running lights add to the car’s presence while the hexagonal grille delivers a bold and confident first impression.

Inspired by clean modern lines and effortless elegance, the large sedan’s bold lines flow along a chrome belt line to the rear. Here, dual asymmetrical chrome exhaust tips balance the refined vertical LED tail lamps to complete the car’s Athletic Elegance. Even more, the clean lines deliver an exceptional 0.27 Cd for minimized wind noise and enhanced fuel efficiency.

Occupying one of the most substantial footprints and luxurious interior spaciousness on the market, the G90 is available in five sophisticated colours that pick-out the car’s characteristic lines, ranging from London Grey, Santiago Silver, Caspian Black, Manhattan Brown, and Casablanca White.

Interior Design
Human-centred ergonomics, harmony, absolute convenience and luxurious comfort dictate the interior layout and design to exude “Graceful Luxury” in the G90. From the graceful layout of driver controls and authentic material to the seat stitching and elegant colour palette, every element of the car’s interior reinforces the focus on the occupants.

Extensive consideration has been given to each of the materials chosen for the G90’s interior. The highest-quality, authentic materials adorn the cockpit with ease of use and beauty of appearance being central to every feature’s form and function. In collaboration with prestigious Italian leather supplier Concerio Pasubio S.p.A., specially-developed semi-aniline leather was crafted for the G90 seats. Throughout the cabin, the latest technologies sit among Napa leather and glossy real wood, delighting the senses and cosseting the occupant in a first-class environment. Even the Lexicon® audio speaker grilles convey an ultra- luxury ambience, precision-machined of high-grade aluminum alloy.

Passenger space is a key component of interior comfort and design, and the new G90 has significantly improved spaciousness, derived in part from a generous 114 mm increase in wheelbase over the previous Equus model for greater passenger comfort. This increase in wheelbase also resulted in reduced overall overhangs. Inside the cabin, this translates to superior front headroom (1,045 mm) and legroom (1,175 mm).

Driving Performance
A characteristic of all Genesis models will be its refined performance. Sitting at the pinnacle of the Genesis range, the G90 captures this spirit perfectly thanks to an extensive research, development and testing regime.

The G90’s engineers worked closely with Hyundai’s European Test Centre based at Germany’s demanding Nürburgring racing circuit, and also put the car through its paces at Hyundai’s California Proving Ground in the U.S. Mojave Desert. There, engineering team extensively refined G90’s ride, handling, steering input, suspension movement and interior environment to deliver an impeccable and exhilarating driving experience with dynamics that are luxurious, composed and refined.

G90 also features a Drive Mode function with four distinct driving characteristics: Smart, Eco, Sport, and Individual (driver-specified parameters). These four driver-selectable modes provide unique calibration settings for suspension, steering, stability control, engine, transmission and AWD system, allowing the driver to determine G90 driving character based on personal driving preferences, road quality, or traffic conditions. Further, G90 includes proprietary adaptive automatic transmission technology that analyzes driving style and adjusts shifting character in real-time driving conditions.

As a foundation for better handling precision, G90 body rigidity has been increased, with an overall bending rigidity six-percent higher than the Mercedes-Benz S550. To achieve this impressive rigidity, G90 utilizes 52 percent Advanced High Strength Steel (more than 300 percent more than the Equus) and over 200 meters of advanced structural adhesives.

To achieve the smoothest possible ride comfort while retaining engaging dynamics, G90 is fitted with a multi-link suspension design for minimized camber and toe changes throughout the suspension travel range. Rear cross member bushings were also improved from a rubber to a hydro construction. In addition, the Genesis Adaptive Control Suspension system with electronic damping control smoothly and precisely manages body motions and yaw control with minimal compromises to ride comfort. This adaptive control suspension, sourced from Sachs/ZF, offers independent damping control for both rebound and compression strokes of suspension travel for improved body control. G90 motor-driven power steering was further refined with optimized assist-and-recovery calibrations and increased steering torsion bar rigidity for more precise steering responsiveness. Large, 19-inch turbine-blade design alloy wheels with 245/45R19 front and 275/40R19 rear tires ensure immediate response to steering inputs and precise handling character.

Standard All-Wheel Drive
Genesis G90 features an advanced HTRAC AWD system as standard equipment, delivering confident control under adverse driving conditions such as ice or snow. This system features an electronic transfer case with active torque control and offers dual-mode Normal or Sport calibrations.

In slippery conditions, the HTRAC AWD system can direct up to 100 percent of available torque to the front axle, for enhanced traction in slippery conditions. In more ideal conditions, the HTRAC Sport calibration features a high degree of rear-drive bias for sportier cornering and acceleration characteristics, with up to 90% of available torque distributed to the rear axle. In addition, with the HTRAC AWD system’s Economy mode, up to 100% of available torque is distributed to the rear wheels for maximum driveline efficiency during steady-state cruising.

Safety
‘Safety without compromise’ summarizes the human-centred philosophy that has directed the development of the G90. The introduction of several world-class safety technologies, alongside a highly rigid body frame (expected to become the strongest in its class), means the G90 boasts safety as one of its stand-out features and is expected to receive the highest ratings from the U.S.-based National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The G90 body structure has been strengthened with a dual-layer member connection design and a newly optimized load-dispersion structure for the small overlap crash test. Adding to the car’s no-expense-spared safety set-up, a selection of other technologies work to minimize risk and maximize protection for the driver, passenger and other road users. From Autonomous Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Active Blind Spot Detection and Driver Attention Alert, Head-Up Display, to HID or LED Headlights with Adaptive Cornering System and High Beam Assist, to an Around View Monitor, the human-centred nature of Genesis is evident throughout.

Convenience Features
Simplicity and intuitiveness were key to the development of the G90’s convenience features, delivering the ultimate hassle-free experience for owners. Also, in developing the car’s specification and equipment, great thought was put in to providing everything a customer would need without adding unnecessary or overly-complicated systems.

Under this mantra, the vehicle comes standard with Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keep Assist to reduce driver fatigue.

Seating comfort is an outstanding characteristic of the G90, with an electronically-controlled driver’s seat featuring 22 ranges of adjustment and has been approved by German campaign for healthier backs, Aktion Gesunder Rücken. The rear outboard passenger seats offer an available heating and ventilation system and are electronically adjustable in 14 different ways, ensuring the highest levels of comfort. These luxurious seats were carefully developed via thorough analysis of the “Stressless” seat design by the seat comfort experts at Norwegian-based Kornes.

Many of the car’s features rely on interaction with the car’s audio visual system displayed via a 12.3-inch 720p High Definition wide screen in the centre console. The screen plays a key role in enhancing the ease of parking and in-city manoeuvres. A one mega pixel digital camera is activated when parking, sharing the screen with a high-resolution 360-degree Around View Monitor. In addition, a seven-inch high-resolution TFT-LCD display enhances data recognition for the driver from the centre gauge cluster.

Depending on individual taste or mood, one of seven interior ambient lighting mood lamps can be selected, and LED lamps are positioned in the overhead console and cabin lighting positions. From the outside mirrors, Genesis-logo approach lamps are projected on the ground for enhanced visibility while approaching the vehicle.

Quality audio was also fundamental to the appointment of G90’s entertainment system. Presenting a concert hall-like experience, the Lexicon Sound System boasts Quantum Logic surround sound, while the car’s Clari-fi software rebuilds details lost in compressed audio files, adjusting the treatment based on the quality of the audio signal to restore a hi-fidelity listening experience.

Elsewhere in the well-appointed cabin, air conditioning is divided into three separately-controlled zones, and occupants can charge their cell phones using the latest in wireless charging technology.

Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH)
Engineers set NVH as a key differentiator for G90, dedicating considerable time to fine tuning every aspect of noise reduction and enhancement of comfort. This attention to detail has resulted in the G90 boasting best-in-class ratings for in-cabin quietness (based on internal tests), a major achievement in this highly competitive area of the luxury car market.

From introducing special sound-absorbing materials throughout the cabin and sub-structure of the car to the application of laminated glass on each window, the focus on providing customers with the ultimate luxury experience was key. The determination to minimize tire noise even extended to the special hollow design of the G90’s 19-inch alloy wheels with engineers altering the structure to channel the flow of air in a quieter way.

Sound engineering also extended to the sedan’s suspension, which is optimized at test centres around the world for high speed cruising while minimizing in-cabin impact and body vibration.

Powertrains
Tuned to maximize the driving experience, a rigorous testing regime concentrated on getting a responsive drive from the car’s powertrains, while remaining refined for both drivers and passengers.

Fitted with a choice of two gasoline engines – a twin-turbocharged 3.3-litre GDI V6 or 5.0-litre GDI V8 – the G90 boasts impressive performance characteristics.

The 420-horsepower V8 engine can propel the sedan from 0-100 km/h in as little as 5.7 seconds (internal estimate), thanks in part to 383 lb-ft of torque. Meanwhile, the standard twin-turbocharged 3.3-litre V6 boasts strong performance throughout the rev-range, thanks to its 365-horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque.