À̹ÌÁö È®´ë After much teasing and delay, the first SUV under Genesis, the luxury marque of Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. has finally hit showrooms in Korea.
The flagship SUV¡¯s debut came a month behind its original schedule due to delays in environmental assessments. GV80 will go on sale in North America around July this year.
Genesis has launched GV80 in 3.0-liter diesel model with a plan to release two additional models in 2.5-liter and 3.5-liter turbo gasoline engines.
GV80 is built on a rear-wheel-drive platform that also offers optional all-wheel drive. The luxury SUV carries five passengers as standard with an option for a third row. It has a maximum output of 278-horsepower with 60.0-kgf•m torque and sports various new driving safety features, ranging from advanced forward collision-avoidance assist to automatic emergency brake assist against side-collision.
GV80 is priced from 65.8 million won ($57,000) in Korea, slightly cheaper than of rivaling foreign-made cars in the same class.
Genesis plans to release a smaller GV70 SUV later this year and add an electric model next year.
By Lee Jong-hyuk and Cho Jeehyun
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