Fresh from California, we have only our second sighting of a facelifted Genesis G80 caught in public. Heavy camouflage still abounds, but the combination of bright sunlight and sharp images gives us a detailed look at some of the changes to the upscale sedan. We can also confirm that an interior update is coming thanks to a glimpse through the passenger window.
If you recall from our first sighting, the G80 will see only minor changes on the outside. The split-light motif continues on both the front and rear, but we can see the headlights look a bit smaller. We can also see the pixel LED elements easily shining in the sun. Moving our gaze lower, a close-up view shows minor changes to the front fascia. The corner vents will shrink slightly in size, and the big shield grille doesn’t dip quite as far into the central opening.
This suggests the grille will also be a tad smaller. Considering the changes we’ve seen on the Hyundai Elantra and Sonata – namely redesigned front clips with smaller grilles – employing a similar strategy for Hyundai’s upscale Genesis brand is certainly plausible.
The sides of this prototype are still hidden, but we see the twin lightbars on the fenders will endure. At the rear, there are more similar-yet-different items with the taillights. The twin bars are clearly visible, but look close and you’ll see larger lenses on the corners. That is, the lenses look larger, but there could be some trickery afoot. We could be seeing the darker quarter panels contrasting with the brighter trunk, but regardless, the internal structure of the lights is different so changes are coming. We also see different body lines on the rear fascia, with revised faux exhaust outlets at the base.
While we’ve seen much of this in our previous G80 prototype sighting, we now have a partial glimpse inside the cabin. Peering through the passenger front window, we aren’t able to suss out details but it appears the floating-style center touchscreen is gone. The slope of the dash in front of the driver isn’t as prominent, which suggests the updated G80 could get a layout similar to the larger G90. Furthermore, heavy covers are visible on the dash, indicating there’s more happening than just some small trim changes.
In the powertrain department, we’ve heard nothing regarding engine options. In North America, the current G80 is available with either a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 300 horsepower, or a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 producing 375 horsepower. All-wheel drive is standard with the V6; all-paw or rear-wheel drive is offered for the four-pot.
It’s possible Genesis could debut the updated G80 as early as September, likely first for South Korea as a 2024 model. Depending on the timing, this could be either a 2024 or 2025 model for North America.
