Genesis Could Move Upmarket and Leave the G70 Behind

The Genesis G70 is the entry-level model of the luxury brand. It starts at a reasonable $43,850 for 2025, but Genesis might abandon it if the brand moves upmarket to focus on its larger, more luxurious models.

Genesis’s global product officer, Marc Choi, told Car and Driver that the brand’s goal is to “pull up brand equity,” with the company “resisting” the need to add a front-wheel-drive, sub-$45,000 model.” The G70 has rear-wheel drive and rides on Hyundai’s M2 platform, which also underpinned the Kia Stinger. 

Instead, Choi told the publication that the brand wants to focus on cars like the G80, G90, and SUVs that are already in its lineup where it can create more brand equity. Sales for the G70 sedan were down through the first three months of 2025, but up for the brand’s four SUVs, including the all-electric GV60, according to Automotive News.

However, despite the possible shift to more expensive models, Choi also revealed that Genesis will always consider the low end of the brand’s product range, wherever that falls. And that doesn’t mean a next-generation G70 is entirely out of the question. He said, “We want to create, potentially, a next-generation G70” with a “more affordable price range.”

But that might get in the way of the brand’s goals. Genesis isn’t alone in wanting to move upmarket. Audi and Mazda have voiced similar aspirations, and the French brand DS wants to challenge Rolls-Royce and Bentley one day. With technology getting cheaper and electric vehicles making horsepower more affordable, brands are feeling the squeeze, with a move upmarket as one potential avenue to a profitable future.