Normally, a car’s mid-cycle facelift may feature updated styling, a revamped interior, and powertrain tweaks to keep buyers rolling into showrooms. The 2026 Genesis Electrified G80 features all of those, but it also has something going on that’s much weirder than you’d expect. It shares a trait with a compact Infiniti crossover, a full-size Volvo sedan, and not much else made within the past ten years. Call it a fun automotive fact to stash away for a future pub trivia night.
Facelifts come with revised styling, so let’s start there. New wheels with solid, bright faces do a great job of visually filling the wheel wells, while a more concave front valence with additional brightwork ties in with the latest models in the range and emphasizes visual width. Around back, additional brightwork frames the lower valence, and the license plate recess has been cleaned up, with new trim tying the rear retroreflectors together. It’s a successful, handsome aesthetic update that shouldn’t rock the boat.
Under the skin, the biggest update is a new 94.5 kWh battery pack, up from an 87.2 kWh battery pack in the outgoing car. Considering the current model has an EPA range of 282 miles, it wouldn’t be surprising if the extra cells push the new car closer to the 300-mile mark, perhaps even eclipsing it.
If you’ve been following the Genesis brand closely, the updates to the interior of the 2026 Genesis Electrified G80 aren’t unexpected, but they’re still nice to have. Perched atop a substantially updated dashboard sits a 27-inch OLED screen that seamlessly combines the gauge cluster with the infotainment, just like it does on the updated GV80 SUV. Speaking of infotainment, the latest Genesis system finally features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and it wouldn’t be surprising if wired connectivity happens by way of a USB-C port. Another expected update is the switch to a Bang & Olufsen-branded sound system instead of a Lexicon-branded system. One new feature that wasn’t easily predictable? Power-closing doors, a bit like you get on the new BMW 7 Series.
However, a larger battery pack, freshened styling, and an updated interior aren’t the biggest story here. See, while it’s fairly normal for facelifted cars to grow a tiny bit longer thanks to new bumpers, the 2026 Genesis Electrified G80 is a whole lot longer than its predecessor thanks to a 5.1-inch stretch in wheelbase. This is an exceptionally expensive thing to do mid-way through a production run as it requires a new midsection of the body, new interior trim panels, and a whole lot of re-homologation, but it isn’t the first time an automaker has lengthened a car’s wheelbase during an update in the past ten years.
In 2015, Infiniti realized that its entry-level crossover having less rear legroom than a Ford Mustang was a problem, so it took the EX37, stretched its wheelbase by 3.1 inches, updated the styling, and rebranded it as the QX50 to fit with new naming conventions.
The other notable example in the past few years was the 2018 Volvo S90, which is even weirder. See, just one year into this big sedan’s run in America, Volvo decided that the long-wheelbase model initially made for China would be a better fit for America, so all 2018 and newer S90s sold in America sport a 4.9-inch longer wheelbase than the 2017 model.
Not only does the wheelbase stretch mean the new Electrified G80 is in rare company, it also mean that it’s redefining the line between a G80 and a G90. The brand’s full-size sedan now rides on a wheelbase just 1.6 inches longer than that of the updated electric midsize sedan, and that has the potential to really give some Genesis buyers pause for thought. Could this cannibalize G90 sales in America? It’s possible, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
In any case, expect the 2026 Genesis Electrified G80 to roll into showrooms before the 2025 calendar year is up. With traditionally handsome looks and the promise of near-full-size sedan space, it could be a real wildcard in the electric luxury sedan segment.
(Photo credits: Genesis)
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The Volvo’s lengthening of the S90 wasn’t because executives thought it would be a better fit.
It was because Volvo were ending production at Torslandaverken, and delivering (cheaper to make) Chinese produced S90s to the States. China only gets the long wheelbase variant, so we got it as well.
Did the standard/non electric G80 get the stretch too, or is the Electric intentionally splitting the size between the two? I assume they do not offer an Electric G90?
I’ve always loathed the oversized grilles on Genesis’ ICE offerings, but sealed off and colored while retaining its pattern as it is on the EV actually looks good, IMO. And since it is at the very front of the car, if you smoothed it out ala Tesla Model 3, there probably wouldn’t be a noticeable difference in drag, so this is a case where the design choice works without compromising functionality.
I’m just looking forward to the rumored range extender option in the next gen GV70. Perhaps it will be offered in the G(V)80 as well.
Frankly I’m surprised this hasn’t already caught on in the luxury segment. Imagine some marketing that implies you’re too rich to worry about charging infrastructure – it’d work I think.
That is a terrible name