It’s only been a year since the Genesis GV70 started arriving at dealers, but it’s already overtaken the larger GV80 to become the brand’s best-selling model. Considering that compact crossovers dominate the luxury vehicle market these days, this is hardly surprising. But the most popular luxury SUV EV of all is Tesla’s Model Y, which speaks to how many buyers are looking to go electric. The Korean luxury brand has one more arrow in its quiver for those customers: the 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70.
Hot on the heels of two other EV launches, the GV60 and Electrified G80, the juiced GV70 is slated to go into production in December, and the brand invited Forbes Wheels for an in-person preview of what buyers can expect. It’ll offer standard dual motors and probably be the fastest GV70, and its range numbers don’t look bad either, though Genesis hasn’t confirmed official specs.
Adapting a combustion-engine platform into a compelling EV isn’t easy, but what’s striking about the Electrified GV70 in person is how little difference there is from the original version, which is entirely by design. In a world of self-consciously futuristic EVs like the Cadillac Lyriq, the Electrified GV70 goes in the other direction, not unlike the Mercedes-Benz EQB or BMW i4 while the GV60 splits the difference.
“You get into it and it’s a GV70,” brand spokesperson Tim Olson told Forbes Wheels. “It’s got the same stylish lines and the same interior feel, but we had many customers who wanted to be able to plug it into a wall and not have to pay for gas.” Of course, the Electrified GV70 was in the works long before the regular version went on sale, Olson says, and it was teased last year at the Guangzhou Auto Show.
Adapting a combustion-engine vehicle to electric power sometimes means some sacrifices—the Electrified G80 loses the regular version’s panoramic sunroof option and a little bit of trunk space, for example. This is not the case in the Electrified GV70, where electric and gas power were envisioned from the start. As a result, the style, and room, of the original are entirely intact in the Electrified version.
Same Experience, Different Powertrain
From the front, an inverse diamond pattern grille telegraphs that this isn’t a regular GV70. Where the diamonds are holes in a conventional grille on the regular version, here they’re solid as on the Electrified G80, and it uses a hidden charging port door similar to the G80’s. A slightly different front skid plate optimizes the underbody for aerodynamics, but you can’t really see it without being on the ground.
The other exterior cues? Special 20-inch wheels that will only be used on the Electrified GV70 and a redesigned rear bumper that subtly eliminates the tailpipe cutouts from the gas version.
Inside, there’s a unique Glacier White interior scheme, with dark, greenish-blue contrasting elements and copper-colored piping on the seats. No doubt Genesis’ many other interior color combos (you can spec things like green or lavender interiors, which few automakers other than Bentley or Rolls-Royce offer) will be available as well, but the design and structure are the same. All the beautiful, aviation-inspired details of the regular GV70 are entirely preserved, as is all the room.
The battery pack slips part-way under the rear seats and under the cargo area, but it doesn’t sap any useful space from either. There’s no spare tire, but fewer and fewer vehicles now come with spares, including many electric competitors. There’s a small well for charging cable storage beneath the load floor, but the space above the floor, and with the rear seat folded, is the same as that of the gas GV70, the company says.
A six-foot-four adult can fit comfortably behind another six-foot adult in the driver’s seat, and it feels like there’s more foot room than in the regular GV70. The driveline tunnel required in the gas version is still there, but smaller.
Genesis did not get creative with Frunk space, but unlike some EVs from BMW and Cadillac, there is a small, secure storage space underneath the hood.
The Machinery Underneath
Although the automaker won’t confirm U.S.-market specs or prices for the Electrified GV70 until later this year, information from parent company Hyundai Motor Group and a few of Genesis’ international affiliates paint a picture of what buyers can expect: the electrified version will be the fastest GV70 despite weighing about 500 pounds more than the fastest and heaviest gas-powered version.
Every Electrified GV70 will be a dual-motor all-wheel drive machine with a 77.4-kWh battery pack. It’ll have about 483 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, which should be good for zero-to-60 sprints of 4.5 to 4.8 seconds. As on the GV60, there will be a boost mode that might reduce those numbers by a few tenths by providing 10-second bursts of extra power.
The battery will support 400-volt and 800-volt charging, another feature it shares with the GV60 and Electrified GV80. By incorporating this functionality, Genesis can legitimately claim a 20-minute 10% to 80% charging time of about 20 minutes on a 350-kWh DC fast charger. Those chargers are relatively new and not easy to find, but this should make the Electrified GV70 more future-proof and even more convenient to use “in the wild” later on.
International market range is around 400 kilometers, which translates to 240-or-so miles. On the preproduction example we toured, the dash readout indicated 231 miles of range left at 90% charge, though the final product might vary slightly.
When Does the Electrified GV70 Arrive?
It may be the third Genesis EV, but the Electrified GV70 will have one very significant difference from the rest of the lineup. It’ll be the first Genesis—electric or otherwise—made in America; in Montgomery, Alabama, specifically. Though it’s made in the U.S., it’s unclear whether the Electrified GV70 will qualify for any federal tax credits. (Alabama production, Olson says, was planned long before the Inflation Reduction Act).
Production begins in December, meaning actual units should arrive at dealerships in late winter or very early spring. While the regular GV70 offers seven different trims across two engine choices, the Electrified version is likely to be a one-size-fits-all trim, but with different color and interior options.
While Genesis won’t divulge pricing until late this year, we do know that the Electrified GV70 will be sold only in the same states as the Electrified G80 (Arizona, California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Utah and Washington), at least at first. The Electrified GV70 will start at $67,550 for the Advanced and $73,775 for the Prestige (both prices including destination), $6,505 and $7,780 more than the gas-powered 3.5T versions of those trims, respectively. That’s clearly a price premium, but a smaller one than on the Electrified G80.
Even at that price, you get the same cossetting, beautifully-detailed luxury experience and lengthy warranty coverage as the regular GV70 with no loss in space or practicality. The added performance (we’ll reserve final judgment until we’ve driven it) and lower energy costs of EV operation are the icing on the cake.
Editors note: This story has been updated to reflect the Electrified GV70’s final pricing, announced on February 16, 2023.