Genesis is an upstart luxury automotive brand that’s only been a stand-alone division since 2015, but despite being so young, the company is surging ahead. Many of Genesis’ products are more interesting and oftentimes nicer than what Acura, Infiniti, Lexus and Lincoln offer these days, and those competitors have been around way longer — Lincoln is 100 years old! It should be no surprise, but the lovely GV60 just won a prestigious — and unexpected accolade. On Thursday it was announced the all-electric crossover was named German Premium Car of the Year for 2023.
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Yes, this South Korean EV just won an award in Germany of all places, a country chockablock with top-shelf automotive brands like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. This is the first time Genesis has won this prize.
The German Car of the Year award has five vehicle classes and winners are selected by a jury of approximately 30 members. Aside from the premium vehicle classification, the other four categories include compact, luxury, new energy and performance. The winners in each of those sections include the Opel Astra (compact), Land Rover Range Rover (luxury), Volkswagen ID. Buzz (new energy) and Ferrari 296 (performance).
Naturally, the people at Genesis are proud of this big win. In a release shared by the automaker, Lawrence Hamilton, managing director of Genesis Motor Europe GmbH said, “I am delighted that our first all-electric car, the Genesis GV60 has been named German Premium Car of the Year. The significance is not lost on anyone at Genesis; this is an award from the cream of German automotive media, for a Korean car on sale in Germany, the home of premium automotive brands.” Marketplace success is not guaranteed, he added, but “this is a very strong indicator” that the GV60 should do well in Europe.
In the U.S., you can get this all-electric crossover in two trims: Advanced AWD and Performance AWD. As their names suggest, all-wheel drive is standard. The lower of these two grades has 314 horsepower, 446 pound-feet of torque and an estimated electric range of 248 miles. The higher-performance offering delivers up to 483 ponies with boost mode engaged and 516 pounds of twist. Range in this version is slightly less at an estimated 235 miles per charge.
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A 77.4-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery stores the energy needed to deliver all that range. Thanks to a 400/800-volt architecture, this pack can DC fast charge from 10% to 80% in a blistering 18 minutes. In EV Pulse testing, the GV60, like other Hyundai Motor Group E-GMP-based vehicles including the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, can pull in electricity at a maximum rate of about 235 kilowatts, a seriously impressive performance.
Not only does this Genesis utility vehicle offer strong acceleration and near-industry-leading charging capability, it features a comfortable and beautifully built interior. Beyond that, this vehicle offers plenty of advanced tech, including facial recognition and a fingerprint scanner, so you can leave your key at home. With attributes like these, it’s not hard to understand why the GV60 won a German Car of the Year award, even if it still is a little surprising.
