Genesis’ top-selling GV70 is joining its battery-powered counterpart, the Electrified GV70, on the luxury brand’s modest roster of U.S.-assembled vehicles. It will be Genesis’ second U.S.-built model.
The compact crossover will be produced at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing in Montgomery, Ala., which also builds the Hyundai Elantra compact sedan, the gasoline and hybrid versions of the Santa Fe, the Tucson compact crossover and Santa Cruz compact pickup.
Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama CEO Ernie Kim said in a statement that since the Electrified GV70 went into production in February, the team has kept the Genesis customer’s “highest expectations in mind” and that they are “ready to launch the broader GV70 lineup with the same commitment to safety and quality.”
The gasoline-powered GV70 started production in late May. All Alabama-built GV70s will be distributed to U.S. dealers. There are no plans to export.
The factory, which has an annual production capacity of 400,000 units, underwent a $300 million upgrade last spring to add a battery installation space for the Electrified GV70. Part of the investment also went to modify the assembly line of the hybrid version of the Santa Fe midsize crossover.
Adding an electric vehicle to the plant’s mission was one challenge, but the bigger evolution was introducing luxury vehicles to Montgomery’s complexity.
In addition to training employees on battery installation and safety protocols, they were also schooled in techniques critical to giving greater attention to fit and finish on the high-end Genesis models. Those products, for example, require a different paint process from the plant’s mainstream products.
