Currently reading: Genesis mulls small premium EV as it expands line-up

Korean premium brand could channel 2019 Mint concept as it explores possibility of a plush small EV

Genesis is open to launching smaller electric cars in the future as it continues to expand its range.

For now, its smallest is the 4.5m-long GV60 crossover, which leaves plenty of room below it.

It has experimented with a smaller model in the past with the Mint concept in 2019.

Now it's investigating future segments that it could enter in order to expand its customer base, said Genesis Europe MD Peter Kronschnabl.

When asked specifically whether that means smaller models, particularly at a time when parent brand Hyundai is about to launch a smaller mainstream EV of its own in the Ioniq 3, Kronschnabl said: "We're evaluating this still but [have] nothing to confirm.

"For sure, for a brand that is evolving, we need to look at fast-growing segments where we might need to be present in order to nurture customers."

Any segment that Genesis enters will need to have long-term and sustainable growth potential, though: the brand won't go chasing short-term opportunities.

"There are some niches," said Kronschnabl. "For instance, there's not a real premium pick-up truck. But is that a segment you should enter?

"So there are segments where maybe there is white space but they don't make sense [for us].

"You need to be very careful when you look into this white space and not just go there because you believe there is a short-term opportunity."

Asked if that means all decisions are taken with a long-term view, Kronschnabl said the Genesis project is "a marathon not a sprint".

"We have to have the right products in order to continuously grow the brand. Therefore the long term is more important than the medium term."

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Mark Tisshaw

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Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.