Genesis Hops On Board The Hybrid Hype Train, But Won’t Do Them Like Everyone Else

With the slowing down of electrification, automakers are scrambling to find alternative solutions. For many, that means more hybrids. Which can be quick and easy, or at least quicker and easier, to develop than plug-in hybrids. Genesis has made the decision to give customers what they want by adding hybrid powertrain options to the lineup, which currently only offers ICE and electric models like the Genesis G80 and its Electrified G80 sibling. But now we know the brand has more advanced plans.

At a recent global media event in Seoul, South Korea, the company’s Head of Product and Safety Officer, Marc Choi, spoke with journalists, including CarBuzz. He said that the brand’s plans include range-extended EVs instead.

“Just A Little Bit Of A Delay” In Electric Strategy

Choi was asked how Genesis was responding to competitors moving back to combustion-only vehicles as political influences changed. “We’re staying on course with our electrification strategy,” he said, calling it “just a little bit of a delay.”

Still, he acknowledges the changing markets. He said, “We know that there’s a need for a more ICE-based hybrid, more efficient vehicle powertrains.” The Genesis plan, then, is “simply adding more options for the consumers.”

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For a smaller brand like Genesis, that’s tough for R&D, Choi said. The company “doesn’t have the wealth of powertrains that some of our competitors may have.” Because Genesis is also a brand based around front-engine rear-drive vehicles, it can’t just snag engine and hybrid systems from parent Hyundai.

While Choi said that Genesis was “not changing any EVs, [or] the electrification strategy,” the company was reacting. “We’ve been reacting a while now. So we’re also developing hybrids. Especially for Genesis, because we’re an FR-based brand. So we’re creating that powertrain option, basically.”

Genesis Could Share New Generator With Kia, Hyundai

That doesn’t mean conventional plug-in hybrids, though. Genesis is planning EREVs – extended-range electric vehicles, like the upcoming Ram 1500 Ramcharger, where the gas engine works solely as a generator and doesn’t drive the wheels. Choi confirmed that while it was still in the design phase, the gas engine would be a generator, not a conventional hybrid or PHEV.

The new Genesis generator could be the one Kia announced earlier this week. At the brand’s investor day, it said it was working on a new EREV system that used a “high-efficiency power generation system,” in this case, a 2.5-liter gas engine module.

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While Genesis gas cars need a longitudinal engine to send output rearward for the rear-drive balance the brand wants, that’s not necessary in an EREV. In those vehicles, motor sizing and control determine the balance. So Genesis could easily use the same system as Hyundai or Kia. A system Hyundai has said would be built in the US as soon as 2026.