Genesis, the luxury brand of Hyundai Motor Group, said on the 23rd it held a Tech Brief spotlighting technologies applied to the GV90, an extra-large flagship electrified SUV (sport utility vehicle).

On the 20th (local time) at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, Genesis unveiled for the first time a tech film capturing the GV90's manufacturing process, titled "Sanctuary of Fineness."

Presenters answer reporters' questions at the Genesis GV90 Tech Brief. From left: Jared Pellat, communications officer at Genesis North America; Heo Gwang-hun, Executive Director of Genesis Development; Ahn Se-jin, Executive Director of Genesis Project 2 Team; Manfred Harrer, President and Head of R&D; Lee Dae-hee, Deputy Minister of Genesis Body Design Office; Lee Seung-mok, Executive Director of Integrated Safety Development Office; Jeong Seong-gi, Deputy Minister of Genesis Test 1 Office; Jung Jai-hun, Deputy Minister of Genesis Manufacturing Engineering Office. /Courtesy of Hyundai Motor

Manfred Harrer, head of R&D at Hyundai Motor Group (president), said, "This project was not simply about developing a new SUV," and noted, "It was a process of questioning what had been taken for granted and asking ourselves what luxury means to Genesis."

At the event, attention centered on the GV90 Neorune's coach-door structure, the "Neorune Arch Gate." This structure opens and closes the front and rear doors independently without a B-pillar. The B-pillar is a pillar connecting the roof and floor of the body, bearing side-impact loads and controlling body torsion as a core frame.

In the GV90 Neorune, Genesis completely removed the B-pillar, relocated it inside the doors, and added a structure inside the body that reinterprets the roll-cage principle of race cars.

A scene from the video Sanctuary of Fineness capturing the manufacturing process of the Genesis GV90. /Courtesy of Hyundai Motor

Lee Dae-hee, head of Genesis body design, explained, "Even the GV90 model with conventional swing doors secured superior body rigidity ahead of competitors, but the GV90 Neorune achieved rigidity 12% higher than that."

A rollover test video was also released to show the roof airbag applied to the GV90. As a vehicle traveling at 110 kph climbed a ramp and rolled over, 12 airbags, including the roof airbag, deployed rapidly to protect the occupants.

Executive Managing Director Lee Seung-mok of Integrated Safety Development said, "Safety as Genesis sees it is not just passing prescribed tests, but preparing for moments customers may actually face."

The Ulsan EV plant where the GV90 is built was also revealed. Hyundai Motor Group introduced a 6,800-ton-class servo press and panel precision inspection equipment in the pressing process that forms body panels. In the body shop, to firmly join a body with a significantly higher aluminum ratio, the company applied four new joining methods that segment and join different materials such as aluminum and steel by area.

For completed bodies, the system performs automated inspections that detect minute surface defects at a level six times human eyesight, then refines the surface in an automated finishing process before sending it to painting. The painting process includes a custom color booth that applies the single color the customer wants. Most notably, in the final assembly process, actual driving environments were reproduced inside the plant to verify quietness.

Executive Managing Director Heo Gwang-hoon, in charge of Genesis development, said, "The GV90 is the most difficult car we have ever built," and added, "We will continue to take on challenges to make every moment customers encounter the car a special experience."

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