Corroborating an earlier report, Genesis confirmed it’s developing hybrid technology it plans to roll out across its range. The brand initially detoured gasoline-electric drivetrains to focus on EVs, but it realized its target audience is more open to going hybrid than to going electric.
Speaking to Top Gear, company boss Mike Song confirmed the move on the sidelines of the Goodwood Festival of Speed. “Five years back, we anticipated that the EV era would arrive very quickly, and we really wanted to be a leader and a disruptor in the EV space. Electrification is still our vision. We still have 100%-electrified vehicles, but the market and the customers now want hybrid more than EV,” he observed.
His team’s goal is to bring hybrid models to the market “as soon as possible.” He stopped short of revealing which nameplate will inaugurate the hybrid system; regardless, it won’t be the last. Song told Top Gear that “as many models as possible” will be offered with a hybrid option.
Although it’s not official, the aforementioned report sheds light on what the first hybrid Genesis could be powered by. Development work reportedly started in 2023, and the system is allegedly built around a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. It’s likely not a plug-in system; it’s either a 48-volt mild-hybrid setup or a standard hybrid drivetrain. It’s too early to tell whether Genesis will ultimately offer different hybrid systems.
Genesis could launch its first hybrid in 2025, so likely as a 2026 model. If that’s accurate, it means the Hyundai-owned company’s plan to launch exclusively electric cars starting in 2025 has changed. Nothing is official, but we wouldn’t be surprised: softening demand for EVs in key markets, including ours, has convinced several carmakers to backpedal on previously-announced plans to go electric-only. Cadillac notably admitted that gasoline-powered cars will be sold alongside EVs” for a number of years” after pledging to go fully electric in 2030.