2020 Genesis G80 Will Debut in September Without V8 Engine

Genesis CEO Manfred Fitzgerald had a good talk with the editors at Car and Driver, revealing that the 2020 G80 is going to be revealed this September (in Korea). In addition, the brand boss revealed there won't be any V8 option.

"The G80 range will be topped off by the V6," Fitzgerald said. "We really have to pay close attention to markets and legislation and hedge our bets. Don't expect another evolution of the V8."

Honestly, we're not surprised, as demand for the G80's 5-liter has been slowing, despite it offering 55-hp and 7 lb-ft more than the turbocharged 3.3-liter. Fuel economy could be one reason for the change, another being low-end torque.

Currently, the G80 offers a 3.8-liter naturally aspirated V6 while the G80 Sport shares its bi-turbo 3.3-liter with the Kia Stinger GT. But by saying the range will be "topped off by the V6," Fitzgerald indirectly hints at something with even fewer cylinders.

That something is the turbocharged 2.5-liter unit, a four-cylinder that supposedly works with both longitudinal and transverse platforms and delivers up to 300 HP. You can get pretty similar setups on the 5 Series and E-Class, though with less power.

The G80 will also bring a new design language to America, as you can probably tell from our spyshots. We've already seen hints of it with the concepts Genesis showed and the Korean market G90 flagship, but those headlights might take some getting used to.

"We will have a brand-new G80 coming out this September in Korea and subsequently on global markets. With that car, you will see the next evolution of our design language," Fitzgerald added.

Perhaps more important than a luxury sedan is the GV80, the first of many SUVs planned by Genesis that also shares this weird light and grille setup.