The all-electric premium sedan market is heating up, with cars like the BMW i4, Audi e-tron GT and Mercedes-Benz EQS all coming to market within the next couple of years. However, the Germans are going to get yet another competitor from a less likely brand — the Genesis G80 EV.
For those that aren’t up on their Genesis nomenclature, the G80 is the brand’s mid-size luxury sedan. A BMW 5 Series-competitor, if you will. From what we’ve heard, the Genesis G80 is a great luxury sedan and, judging from my experience with the G70, I fully believe it. So it’s very interesting to hear that Genesis is debuting its own electric version of the G80 and it’s said to be hitting the market next year.
Launching a fully-electric luxury sedan in 2021 (as a 2022 model year) when it’s only been announced in 2020 seems like extremely quick, especially compared to BMW’s glacial pace when it comes to debuting EVs. Not only will it be debuting in just a year but it’s also said to pack a maximum range of 310 miles. That’s not any more than any of the longer-range Teslas, but it’s still very good and more than anyone will ever need in normal driving.
Sure, the BMW i4 is said to have a WLTP-rated range of 373 miles (600 km) but the WLTP is extremely generous when it comes to EV mileage testing and that number will likely drop drastically under EPA testing. So expect about the same 310 miles of realistic range in the i4. However, the BMW i4 is going to be a bit smaller and sportier than the Genesis G80 EV, which will be designed more as a luxury car than a sports car.
It’s an interesting segment that the Genesis G80 EV will fit into, though. At the moment, the only real electric sedan that fits into that group is the Tesla Model S. Sure, the Porsche Taycan is similar in size but it’s so much more money and has far more performance. So the standard Model S would really be its main competition. While BMW goes smaller (i4) and Mercedes goes bigger (EQS — S-Class-sized), Genesis is splitting the difference. It will be interesting to see how that plays out.
