2022 Genesis GV60 revealed: Hi-tech SUV wows

The latest high-rider from Hyundai’s luxury brand is packed with hi-tech features that make it feel like a smartphone on wheels.

The latest electric car headed Down Under is like a smartphone on wheels.

Hyundai’s luxury offshoot, Genesis, has revealed its new GV60 electric SUV, which is due to arrive in Australia in the first half of next year.

Prices will be announced closer to the launch date.

The GV60 will have smartphone-like features such as facial recognition that can lock and unlock doors by reading the driver’s face when they touch the door handle.

Genesis has confirmed its new GV60 is coming to Australia in 2022.

The tech can remember up to two faces and will adjust the settings for the driver’s seat, steering wheel and side mirrors, as well as loading individual profiles for the infotainment system.

A push-button starter has been replaced with a fingerprint reader adding extra security. The function can be deactivated via a Valet mode.

The tech will also be able to process future in-car payments and subscriptions for over-the-air updates to tech and safety features.

The cabin is jam packed full of hi-tech features including digital side mirrors.

The Genesis will also have a digital key added to your smartphone that can unlock and start the car. The feature can be shared with up to three people.

The GV60 is built on the Hyundai Motor Group’s new dedicated electric car platform, which is also spawning the coming Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.

Three GV60 variants are planned and each one uses the same 77.4kWh battery.

The first is a rear-wheel drive version using a single motor making 168kW and 350Nm with a driving range of up to 451km.

High-performance versions can hit 100km/h from a standstill in four seconds

A mid-range all-wheel-drive version uses two motors, one on each axle, to produce 234kW and 605Nm. Driving range is reduced to 400km.

The range-topping high-performance version uses a bigger second motor to make a combined 320kW and 605Nm. It has a driving range of up to 368km.

Genesis is pushing the performance angle of its new GV60 by adding a “boost” mode that provides additional power for 10 seconds.

The maker says “boost” mode will allow the GV60 to hit 100km/h in four seconds.

It has also added a “drift” mode that alters the vehicle’s power delivery and braking force for dynamic manoeuvres.

The GV60 has a Drift Mode.

Genesis has boosted the drive experience further with artificial engine sounds. The vehicle alters the virtual driving sound pumped through the cabin speakers by reading the vehicle’s speed, accelerator pedal data and driving mode.

The GV60 comes with some impressive hardware including 800V charging architecture, which enables ultra-fast charging up to speeds of 350kW an hour. That should add about 100km of range in five minutes.

Genesis has equipped the GV60 with a vehicle-to-load function that allows it to act as a mobile generator to power other electronic devices.

There are some wow features inside, too.

The “Crystal Sphere” is deployed when the car is switched off.

A “Crystal Sphere” located in the centre console lets drivers know when the vehicle is on or off, compensating for the lack of engine sound.

The sphere rotates when on to display a circular gear selector, and shows a crystal-like dome when the motor is off.

The interior is dominated by two large screens running lengthways, one for the digital instrument display and the other for the infotainment.

Cameras replace the side mirrors, with two screens – one in each front corner of the cabin – displaying the digital images.