Duh, right? On the one hand, the Genesis Electrified GV70 is exactly what it says it is: an electrified version of the brand’s compact luxury SUV. Trouble is, the word “electrified” is extremely broad. Volvo made waves when it announced that its entire lineup would be “electrified,” which prompted a multitude of lazy online outlets to report that Volvo would only be selling electric cars now. Had they read on a little deeper into the press release, they would have discovered that Volvo was effectively just updating the electrical systems of its base internal combustion engines to make them mild hybrids. Definitely not electric, but technically “electrified.”
OK, so that is not what is happening here. Not only is the GV70 electrified, but it is 100% electrified and there’s no gas engine. It’ll have a battery and a motor powering the rear and/or all four wheels. Unfortunately, that’s the extent of the technical details available at this time — we should know more in December when the Electrified GV70 starts rolling off the production line in South Korea. In the meantime, we did get a chance to see the Electrified GV70 in person prior to its North American debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in a few weeks.
In the video above, I go over all the visual changes. Honestly, it’s really “blink and you’d miss it” stuff. Like the Electrified G80, Genesis is definitely going the stealthy route here. The grille is fully enclosed and houses the most successfully concealed charge door in the industry. The lower air dam is also different from both the 2.5T and 3.5T models (something I didn’t mention in the video). The wheels are unique to the Electrified GV70 and since there is no exhaust, the lower rear bumper is different. The interior gets a Boost button added to the steering wheel (like in the GV60, it adds a 10-second boost of extra power), although the wheel is otherwise the same as what you’d get in other GV70s. The instrument design is the same but the information shared is different, while a unique Glacier White interior color with copper details is exclusive to the Electrified GV70.
Again, we’ll know more in a month or so. Until then, watch the video above and read our review of the regular Genesis GV70 here on Autoblog.
