Genesis will no longer be a standalone brand in the UK and will instead fall under the wider Hyundai umbrella from next year.
The premium brand from South Korea first entered the UK market in 2021 having launched five years earlier as a separate sub-brand in countries such as America, Canada and Australia. It uses Hyundai technology in its cars but has always been regarded as a standalone brand.
However, an insider told Car Dealer Magazine that “Genesis Motor UK will cease to exist as a separate legal entity and all Genesis operations will be transferred to HMUK [Hyundai Motor UK].”
It’s expected that these changes will come into effect at the end of January 2024, with all of Genesis’s staff now placed on redundancy consultation. Up to 83 jobs are thought to be at risk.
A spokesperson for Hyundai Motor UK told Car Dealer: “As a business, we announced previously that from January 1, a number of new network partners would be representing the Genesis brand in the UK, marking the start of an exciting period of expansion for the business.
“As part of the next phase of this expansion, we will bring the Hyundai and Genesis UK businesses together under common management in order to ensure we work most effectively with our new partners.
“This transition is ongoing and is subject to the employment consultancy agreement.”
Genesis currently has a wide range of vehicles on sale in the UK, including GV70 and GV80 SUVs, the G70 saloon and the estate-like G70 Shooting Brake. It’s also heavily investing in electric cars, with three EVs already on sale.