Hyundai’s electrified Genesis GV70 will be its first EV manufactured in the US

Hyundai will manufacture EVs in the US starting in December this year with the electrified Genesis GV70 crossover model, the company announced at the NY Automotive Forum in a video seen by Automotive News. It’s part of a grand plan to invest $7.4 billion in the US by 2025 to develop a family of EVs and smart mobility technology. 

Hyundai will start electrified production at its Montgomery, Alabama plant in October with the Santa Fe Hybrid, the company announced at a ceremony with Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. It’ll invest $300 million to start with, creating 200 new jobs at the plant (its only manufacturing facility in the US). The company currently builds the Elantra sedan, Santa Fe and Tucson SUVs and Santa Cruz sport adventure vehicle on the Montgomery assembly line.

The Genesis GV70 EV was quietly revealed late last year at the Guangzhou Auto Show in China. The company has yet to announce US specs, which may be why it didn’t mention the GV70 EV at all in its press release. However, the Korean version will come with an 800 volt charging system and 77.4 kWh battery good for about 400 km (247 miles) of range according to the Korean testing cycle. 

It also features two electric motors that produce 482 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, considerably more than the ICE version of the GV70. According to photos, the luxury and tech-adorned interior will be similar to the one on the current gas-powered GV70. 

It’s taken Hyundai awhile to establish US EV production dates, and follows recent, similar announcements by Toyota and Volkswagen. All three companies, which operate non-union plants in the US, opposed the Biden administration’s plan to provide extra tax incentives to unionized automakers. At the same time, Hyundai’s unionized workers in Korea want the company to boost domestic EV production rather than investing abroad. It has to balance all that with US vehicle import tariffs, set at 2.5 percent for cars and 25 percent for pickups and SUVs.