Luxury brand Genesis spreads its wings in Western Australia

Luxury brand Genesis has relocated from the CBD and opened its new Perth Test Drive Centre in Osborne Park — the second biggest in Australia.

Located on the former Chrysler Jeep Dodge site at 474 Scarborough Beach Road, the 4700sqm space has an attached workshop with provision for 15 hoists.

“It’s still a work in progress,” says showcase principal Grant Gouws. “We will have a dedicated delivery area with plants and a lounge.”

Right on cue the day I visit, the first GV70 in top-spec Signature Sport trim goes out in a gorgeous matte Ceres Blue with vanilla beige upholstery and orange seatbelts.

Just between you and me, the new owners have switched from BMW.

“We’ve got a lot of Bentley owners coming across,” Mr Gouws says. “They appreciate they opulence and uniqueness Genesis offers.”

Speaking of Bentley, yes, there is a resemblance, notably in the Genesis logo and grille because both have the same designer — Belgian Luc Donkerwolcke of Lamborghini, Audi and Porsche acclaim.

Mr Donkerwolcke is now chief creative officer of Genesis.

Of course, Genesis is Hyundai’s luxury sub-brand, like Lexus to Toyota (see centre pages for full history), launching in 2015 in South Korea. First models arrived in Australia in 2019.

Next year, the brand celebrates 10 years globally.

“It’s the quickest luxury brand to achieve one million sales from launch,” says head of Genesis Motors Australia Justin Douglass, adding the Osborne Park site will evolve into a “full Genesis Showcase” in a move to position the brand alongside luxury competitors in WA’s automotive retail hub and “ensure demand is matched by a strategically located retail network”.

“Since launching in 2019, we’ve expanded our presence in Australia to seven locations across four States, including two flagship studios supported by five metro showcases.

“The site we now have in Perth will allow us to display a much wider range of vehicles.”

Genesis’ flagship Australia “Showcase” — Sydney-Concord — is due to open at the end of this month and will be the biggest in Australia.

The big news is that Genesis has launched Magma Racing as it revealed its motorsport high-performance prototype, the GMR-001 Hypercar, in Dubai last week.

Genesis Magma Racing will compete in the LMDh (Le Mans Daytona hybrid) class of the World Endurance Championship in 2026, followed by the North American IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2027.

In the lead-up, a team will compete in the 2025 European Le Mans Series.

There’s also a range of high-performance production vehicles in the pipeline, starting with the GV60 Magma in early 2026.

The concept model is already in Australia — I’ve seen it and and it’s stunning.

A range of Black models is also due, with the recently announced Black Edition GV80 (SUV) and GV80 Coupe arriving in 2025.

“GV80 is the second Genesis model to receive the Black treatment, but will be the first to launch in Australia,” Mr Douglass says.

“Genesis Black models are defined by their captivating dark-black colour theme that extends throughout the interior and exterior . . . (and) you can expect to see more Black editions appear throughout our range of vehicles.”

Australia currently has five Genesis models — the GV60 (EV), GV70 (EV and ICE), GV80 (ICE coupe), G70 (sedan or shooting brake) and G80 (ICE or EV large sedan).

“We’re incredibly excited about the future; our range is growing and when it comes to network, we’re building service centres around Australia,” Mr Douglass says.

Genesis unveils redesigned Electrified GV70

Genesis unveiled the newly designed Electrified GV70 this week.

It’s the first time the Electrified GV70 has undergone a redesign since the initial model began Korean sales in March 2022.

The electric model was originally launched as the third EV in the Genesis line-up, following the Electrified G80 and the GV60.

Latest Electrified GV70 features include a new crest grille and bumper design, new rear turn signals, as well as signature “two-line headlamps” with micro lens technology for improved visibility, plus new dark-grey matte 20-inch wheels in a sleek matte dark-grey shade.

Best of all, exterior colours now include gorgeous Ceres Blue in gloss or matte and there’s a new EV-exclusive Icy Blue/Glacier White two-tone interior trim option.

Inside, you get a 27-inch OLED display integrating the instrument cluster and infotainment system into a single unit, along with a touch-based heating and air-cooling system, new ambient lighting and, as expected, Bang & Olufsen sound.

Korean sales start in the first quarter of 2025, with Australia to follow in the first half of 2025.