Genesis GV80 Sales Prove BMW And Cadillac Have A Problem

The 2021 Genesis GV80 SUV was revealed last January and already it's proving to be a huge success. While the auto industry at large might be experiencing a sales slowdown due to the ongoing pandemic, this isn't the case for the South Korean luxury brand's new flagship SUV.

Speaking to Roadshow, Genesis CEO Mark Del Rosso confirmed the company has taken almost 10,000 reservations for the GV80 ahead of its market launch this summer. At the same time, Del Rosso made absolutely clear that the launch will not be affected by the virus crisis. The same goes for the heavily facilitated 2021 Genesis G80 sedan, which will also arrive in dealerships very soon. Both new vehicles are "100%" on track.

"We're in perfect position from an inventory perspective," he said. "The reality is we're probably going to be one too few," meaning GV80 demand appears to be even higher than originally expected. It's not exactly a bad problem to have.

As for the updated G80, Del Rosso said there are roughly 1,500 reservations so far following its debut at the end of March. But it's the GV80 where the brand has clearly hit a home run.

Not only does it look great inside and out, but its pricing undercuts its main rivals, such as the BMW X5, Cadillac XT6, and Lincoln Aviator. All three carry a starting price tag above $50,000 while the GV80 can be had for as low as $48,900.

This will get customers a mid-size luxury SUV with standard rear-wheel-drive, a 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-four with 304 horsepower, and a standard 14.5-inch infotainment screen. A full-loaded GV80 3.5T Advanced + with AWD will start at $65,050, which is still a very reasonable price compared to similarly equipped competitors.