Hyundai Genesis G90 three weeks away

The first shot in Hyundai's push upmarket will be fired with the official unveiling of the Genesis G90 limousine in South Korea on December 9.

Replacing the Hyundai Equus, which was never sold in Australia, the G90 will be the flagship of Hyundai's new Genesis luxury brand, as we reported last week.

Although it's unlikely to be sold in Australia, the car we currently know as the Hyundai Genesis will be facelifted and rebadged as the Genesis G80 – positioned a step below the flagship line.

According to Korean Car Blog, the G90 will come to market powered by three petrol engines: a 3.8-litre direct-injected V6, a new 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 and a 5.0-litre V8. Peak power for the atmo V6 is said to be 246kW, according to the report, with the biturbo V6 producing 272kW and the V8 developing 313kW.

Since then, another website – Motor1.com – has speculated that Hyundai's new twin-turbo V6 will actually replace the Tau V8 altogether in the Genesis range.

Furthermore, Hyundai's N division may be involved in the forced-induction V6's engineering – with the website reporting that the performance arm could be tweaking the engine for peak power of up to 358kW. Whether that's a mainstream engine development or something more along the lines of a Genesis rival to German and Japanese prestige performance brands remains unanswered.

The same website is also reporting that the twin-turbo V6 will make it into the facelifted G80 as well.  One point where the different websites are agreed is that the G90's engines will drive through an eight-speed automatic transmission. That's presumably true for the G80 also.

The G90 will be offered in global markets with a new Variable Control Suspension system, a semi-autonomous Highway Driving Assist system and the option of all-wheel drive.