Genesis says it’s not going down the path of building only SUVs in the future, despite its rivals increasingly shunning traditional body types.
With SUV sales having overtaken traditional sedans and wagons globally some time ago, the focus to make an SUV in almost any segment is evident across both mainstream and luxury brands’ line-ups.
Brands like Audi have capitalised on the SUV demand with a model in almost every shape and sizes, including traditional small, medium and large SUVs and their coupe derivatives.
While Genesis just unveiled its Audi Q8-rivalling GV80 Coupe Concept, the brand says it will not abandon traditional segments any time soon.
Speaking to Australian media, the chief creative officer of Hyundai and Genesis, Luc Donckerwolke, said brands that abandon traditional shapes like sedans will regret it in time.
“It’s a mistake to basically write off a typology of a vehicle,” Mr Donckerwolke said.
“I don’t want to have a monoculture of SUVs on the street… I love SUVs from the rugged ones to the sporty ones but that’s not it.
“It’s not because it’s easier to sell a typology of a vehicle that we have to abandon another, I think the ones that are making that decision are going to regret it really soon because they are giving it up to other ones and we are there [to take it].”
From a design perspective, Mr Donckerwolke also made a note that designers who have only worked on SUVs will ultimately not serve their brands well.
“I hate the fact that young designers that I sometimes interview have only worked on SUVs because they don’t know what proportions are,” he said.
“I will continue to make sedans and coupes and everything because you have to fight for every single mm to get the right proportions, doing an SUV is so easy and you end up with designers with limited skills because they have only been working on bricks on wheels and I don’t want that.”
Mr Donckerwolke, who was previously the head of design at Lamborghini from 1998 and was responsible for the 2001 Diablo VT 6.0, the 2002 Murciélago and 2004 Gallardo, is one of the world’s best-known car designers.
His work across Hyundai and Genesis has transformed both brands with iconic and ultra-modern designs.
Genesis currently sells the G70 and G80 sedans in Australia, with the flagship G90 available in other markets.
