GENESIS ELECTRIFIED GV70

Update for Audi Q6 rival as Hyundai's luxury brand goes electric-only

- JAMES DISDALE

It has now been a decade since the genesis of, erm, Genesis. The Hyundai Motor Group's luxury brand has already made big inroads in its home market of South Korea and in the US, where it has become a genuine rival to established upper-crust players. Europe was always going to be a tougher nut to crack, but four years after it arrived over here, it's starting to gain a foothold and is now ready to refresh its line-up for the first time.

Now on a 'path to electrification' (although industry uncertainty over legislation has led bosses to recently reveal that hybrid powertrains are now in the pipeline), Genesis has pruned its range to just three models, all of them EVs, and it's the brand's flagship SUV, the Electrified GV70, that's the first to be given a dose of mid-life razzle-dazzle.

Largely confined to cosmetic updates, technology tweaks and a streamlined variant line-up, this refresh also includes the addition of a bigger battery for greater stamina.

Approach the GV70 from the front and it's not hard to miss the changes, with the vast diamond-patterned grille (as on most EVs, it's actually a flush panel), slimmer LED headlights and reprofiled bumpers giving it some imposing, knock-off-Bentley kerb appeal.

One neat new detail is a nose-mounted charging port hidden behind a powered door that features a heating element to prevent it from being frozen shut in icy conditions.