Genesis mulls a small luxury electric vehicle based on the Mint EV concept
Genesis Motors is looking to expand its lineup with a small luxury EV that would be placed below the GV60 electric crossover SUV.
Genesis is considering introducing a small luxury EV
The luxury brand, part of Hyundai Motor Group, has already vowed to end new gas-powered model sales by 2025 with plans to introduce a fully electric lineup by the end of the decade.
Genesis released its first fully electric dedicated EV, the GV60 crossover, in 2019 (check out our review of it here) based on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform, which is also used for the IONIQ5 and IONIQ 6 models.
The brand accelerated its transition by launching two fully electric versions of some of its most popular models, the G80 executive sedan and the GV70.
Electric vehicles represented 52% of Genesis sales in Europe last year, but the luxury automaker looks to pick up the pace further.
According to a new report from Autocar, Genesis is considering adding a small luxury EV to its European lineup. Mark Choi, head of product planning at the company, said the automaker is looking at “expanding our model lineup,” adding, “especially in Europe a smaller model is being considered.”
Hyundai’s vice president of design, SangYup Lee, explained:
The Mint concept is still being studied. We want to understand what a small luxury car could be. When you live in a city, you don’t necessarily want a big car, so a small luxury vehicle is something to think about. There are premium small cars, but a luxury small car could be something new.
The compact luxury model could be based on the Genesis Mint concept, a small electric city-focused car introduced at the New York Auto Show in 2019 with an expected range of up to 200 miles (but that’s likely to improve for the production version).
Genesis called the Mint concept a “new vehicle typology” as a luxury two-door sporty compact EV with a low-slung roof and aggressive wide stance.
Although the idea sounds great, Choi says it’s not as simple as adding new models, adding “raw material prices for batteries is key at the moment,” and waiting until prices come down may make more sense.
Electrek’s Take
Can Genesis bring the small luxury two-door electric car to the states? The US isn’t known for its appreciation of smaller cars, but things could change with longer ranges and more premium features in the electric era.
Ford released its compact electric Explorer SUV for the European market this week, and despite the automaker having no plans to bring it to the US, I think it would have a market, and so would a small Genesis luxury EV sports car.
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Hyundai is about to launch a new electric SUV in China. With its big debut coming up, Hyundai just dropped a sneak peek, and it looks like it could be the IONIQ 4. Check it out for yourself in the video below.
Is Hyundai teasing the IONIQ 4?
We caught our first glimpse of the new EV model last month after Beijing Hyundai released a few official “spy” photos.
Despite the camouflage, you can see a few design elements, like a light bar across the front, slim LED headlights, and a closed-off grille. At first, it almost looks like a smaller version of the IONIQ 9, Hyundai’s first three-row electric SUV, but with a much sportier, shaped profile.
Beijing Hyundai released a new teaser for the upcoming electric SUV this week. The video shows “a wave of high-end operations” as the vehicle dances across the snow.
The video highlights features like real-time torque control, high-speed cornering, and the SUV’s impressive body control while driving around cones.
Hyundai’s new electric SUV is being called “OE” internally, according to The Korean Car Blog, suggesting it could be an IONIQ model.
All other Hyundai IONIQ EV models were also codenamed with an “E” internally, which is raising speculation that this could be the IONIQ 4.
Like most global OEMs, Hyundai is fighting to compete in an intense Chinese EV market, which is dominated by domestic automakers like BYD.
Hyundai opened its first overseas R&D center last year in China to spearhead its comeback. It will work with local suppliers and tech companies to develop EVs designed for Chinese buyers. The new electric SUV is expected to launch in China later this year, followed by three new energy vehicles, including EVs and EREVs.
Beijing Hyundai will release more information on April 16, with the electric SUV set to “challenge the limit of driving performance.”
What do you think of Hyundai’s new electric SUV? Is this the IONIQ 4? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Charge point provider char.gy has secured a £130 million contract to install 6,000 curbside EV chargers for Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) – the UK’s largest installation of its kind.
London-based char.gy has also been awarded a 15-year contract to operate and maintain the charging network.
Installing Level 2 chargers curbside, where most drivers in the UK park, will enable more people to take advantage of cheaper charging rates while juicing up their EVs overnight. (charg.gy’s pay as you go night tariff, between midnight and 7 am, is £0.39/kWh, compared to its £0.59/kWh day tariff.)
John Lewis, chief executive of char.gy, said the project is “a huge moment for the UK and its EV ambitions. This partnership alone will empower thousands of residents to confidently make the switch to electric vehicles, knowing they have easy access to chargers.”
Brighton and Hove City Council is among the first to tap into the government’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, designed to help English local authorities roll out charging solutions for residents without off-street parking. Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said making EV charging as accessible as possible is “crucial to making the switch to electric a success.”
The UK now has over 75,000 public EV chargers, according to the Department for Transport—and it looks like the country’s on pace to hit its 2030 target. Back in December, the National Audit Office said the rollout is “on track” to meet the DfT’s estimate that at least 300,000 chargers will be needed by the end of the decade.
Read more: Meet the UK’s largest solar + storage EV charging ‘Superhub’
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