Genesis unveils new G70 sports sedan

GENESIS has debuted its new 3 Series and C-Class-battling G70 sports sedan ahead of its local introduction here mid-next year.

Sporting an all-new look bringing it more closely into line with the rest of the Genesis range, the G70 represents the latest iteration of the brand’s ‘athletic elegance’ design philosophy.

Officially declared as the most athletic of the sports sedan range, Genesis designers have been sure to give the G70 an extra level of purposefulness with the new crest grille set lower on the front fascia, below the signature quad headlights.

The lights themselves are said to evoke “a sprinter’s pre-race posture” while a wide downturned lower grille (black mesh) gives the overall look a snarling expression, especially in conjunction with the narrow, almost frowning headlights.

Prominent body sculpting adorns the flanks of the G70, helping it to look more muscular and aggressive while side air extractors sitting neatly behind the subtly flared front wheelarches add an extra level of visual flair.

At the rear we find a – not unexpected – quad tail-light arrangement complementing those at the front while a large mesh diffuser encroaches up the bumper towards the bootlid – adorned with a prominent lip spoiler – with large oval exhaust tips emerging at either end.

Inside the cabin, the interior largely resembles that of the bigger G80 sedan while adding extra sporty flavour, with designers evidently taking a leaf out of Saab’s old handbook, saying the “driver-centred architecture” resembles that of “a fighter jet cockpit”.

Infotainment duties are taken care of by a 10.25-inch touchscreen system boasting over-the-air wireless updates, Valet mode and CarPay.

Wireless smartphone charging is standard however no other specification details have been released yet, including powertrains.

For reference, the current G70 is available with either a 179kW/353Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine or the same twin-turbo 3.3-litre V6 as found in the Kia Stinger, good for 272kW/510Nm.

According to a Genesis spokesperson, more details of the new model’s specification will be revealed next month – Australian specs will be confirmed closer to the local launch.

Compared to its German rivals, the current-generation G70 has failed to fire on the sales charts, occupying just 0.9 per cent of the $60,000+ medium car segment with 73 sales this year to the end of August.

By comparison, BMW has sold 2130 3 Series’ (27%), Mercedes-Benz has moved 1921 C-Classes (24.4%) and 1319 CLAs (16.7%) while Audi has shifted 527 A4s (6.7%) and 390 A5 Sportbacks (5.0%).