2023 Genesis G90 Revealed, Would’ve Been Rival For Now Defunct Cadillac CT6
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The 2023 Genesis G90 was unveiled by the Korean luxury automaker this week, giving us an early preview of the full-size luxury sedan ahead of its arrival in North America next year.
While Genesis is powering ahead with its full-size sedan, General Motors has long since abandoned the segment after prematurely pulling the plug on the Cadillac CT6 program in North America last year. The Cadillac CT6 may no longer be sold or produced in North America, but it remains a part of the luxury brand’s vehicle portfolio in China.
Technical details of the 2023 Genesis G90 remain under wraps, with the automaker only releasing details on its exterior styling. The interior design of the vehicle also remains a secret for now.
Genesis hopes the latest iteration of its flagship model will reshape the luxury sedan segment in all markets it currently operates in.
“G90 will redefine the flagship luxury design experience in a unique way only offered by Genesis.” said Head of Genesis Global Design, SangYup Lee. “G90 is the ultimate expression of Athletic Elegance that carefully balances dynamic driving and an elegant rear seat experience.”
Power in the 2023 Genesis G90 will likely come from the brand’s twin-turbocharged 3.5L V6 engine, which produces 375 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque in the 2022 Genesis G80 mid-size sedan. Genesis previously offered a naturally aspirated 5.0L V8 engine in the G90, but rumors indicate this engine will not make the cut for the 2023 model year. All-wheel-drive will likely be offered as an option, with rear-wheel-drive standard.
Genesis says “more information on North American market specifications and deliveries will be available at a later date.”
Genesis is poised to remain one of Cadillac’s fiercest rivals this decade, with the brand mimicking the American automaker’s plan to go all-electric by 2030. It’s already begun implementing this strategy with the recent debut of the GV60 – a battery-electric crossover that will compete with future electric crossover offerings from Cadillac.
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The CT6 is still available in China. Why does GM model offerings begin and end with the US? (Referencing the “no EVs GM trend)
It’s lovely. Just based on the visuals, this car is another giant leap for Genesis which is quickly becoming a real player in the Tier 1 luxury car field. I’d say they already passed Cadillac which is now in the Acura league.
The other remarkable thing is that Genesis is developing its own design language and is beginning to separate themselves from the Germans with a muscular grace that is more American or English than German. Bravo to their designers, the G90 is beautiful.
I’ve said for some time that Cadillac could benefit from new ownership and from looking at what Hyundai has done here, GM’s luxury brand would benefit from becoming a Hyundai property. While gm continues to degrade and diminish Cadillac and is now resorting to tacky laser light gimmicks, Hyundai is showing their ability to build a luxury brand from scratch with elegant forms and obvious good taste.
What foolish thinking… “Tier 1 luxury car field” (rolls eyes).
Let me guess… with your belief, the German nameplates selling you glorified FWD econoboxes, plumber’s vans, dump trucks, and taxi/police sedans (in S,M,L) around the world are your so called “Tier 1 luxury”, no?
Roll eyes thinking anyone believes Cadillac is first tier anywhere. anymore.
Those utility Mercedes & BMWS are NOT the luxury models .
Both brands have driven Cadillac from the field all over the world & offer nothing anymore but TRUCKS & crossivers on generic GM chassis.
Ci2Eye, Your are totally correct.
The Cadillac Escalade is Cadillac’s full-size ultra luxury flagship that makes Cadillac Tier 1 IMO. How many G90s sold yearly in the states? Cadillac will have the CELESTIQ, a halo which will make it Tier 1 even further. Also the EV Escalades will be more expensive from there.
John,
With all due respect, a rebadged Tahoe which is itself the station wagon version of a Chevy truck does not make for an authentic luxury car or SUV. It’s not even close and it certainly can’t put Cadillac into the realm of the high-end brands.
I don’t understand how they can sell them for the price they do but I’d say it takes more than a Tahoe trim package to be Tier 1. Cadillac was about to be there with the CT6 with the Blackwing, the planned CT8, and an Omega-based Escalade but they cheaped out, cancelled all that and went back to a strategy of rebadges.
Time & time again, you keep forgetting whenever GM reengineer a brand new platform for the triplets, the Escalade is engineered first and then the Tahoe & Yukon get what’s left for engineering. How do you think the four wheel air suspension came about? It was for the Escalade and if it was not for the Escalade, the Tahoe and Yukon would not benefit like they are now. Also, the Tahoe is expensive like a mid-size luxury sedan now so nothing cheap about the Tahoe.
You can find the source of what make was engineered first in Motor Trend website.
There were plans that were altered the reason we don’t have cancelled projects from the CT8, XT6 & Escalade. We all know the true reasons why those projects were cancelled. Actually, they were on hold but now they will be reintroduced as electrics on a flexible platform BT1 & BEV3.
This time I’d actually agree with you, since the trucks are carrying the burnt of the profits, GM should put some effort into one mainstream competitive ICE platform for sedans and coupes that sell internationally.
CADILLAC has future sedans coming LINCOLN need to get it together rethink there past mistakes and put some luxury sedans on the market ASAP. The SUV’s they trying to push off on customers are not for everyone, Import luxury vehicles are taking over
Genesis isn’t bad but the wheels are nothing short of awful.
Should have kept the CT6 in production but should have offered other engine options like a normally aspirated 5.3 and 6.2. That would have kept the cost down and probably increased sales substantially. Couldn’t believe they put a tiny 4 cyl. such a big car.
Still cannot believe that Cadillac cancelled the CT6
Just China only, will GM tweak the CT6 to compete?.
Ment its made just in China only, my point still stands. It’s plenty of room between a CT5 and Celestiq.
Momolos:
Why is it difficult to understand? Sales never came near supporting the cost of building them. The platform was used for the one car only. After its debut year, sales fell every year afterward.
I have read that both CT5 and XT6 were originally planned to share the Omega platform. It was probably a mistake to have produced the CT6 first. If an Omega based XT6 was first to market the CT6 may have had a longer life.
Because the GM Beancounters won out. It was supposed to have at least one if not two CUV’s and the new Slade was supposed to use the 4.2TT V8.
If GM doesn’t rid themselves of the awful at running a Business (Especially now since it is getting Disrupted) Beancounters, then I fear we the Tax payers will be saving them yet again.
Takes Money to make money. Do you think Genesis makes a lot of money as a Brand? Most likely not but Hyundai realized just how vital a Luxury Brand is for the Auto Industry.
GM keeps trying to give us Chevy parts and engines for German Big Three money and they wonder why Cadillac hasn’t caught up. Once they forced Johan out I knew Cadillac would not reach Tier One anytime soon. I have been stating since Jogan left that the shift to BEV’s is legit their absolute last chance!!!
Momolos,
What I don’t understand is this: An enormous amount of money was spent to develop the CT6. Unlike other Cadillac efforts, it actually had its own platform. That’s something Cadillac had needed for many years. Because of that, because the Omega platform was Cadillac-only, GM could do things they can’t when an architecture must be cheap enough for a Chevy but is also used for a Cadillac. Remember it’s novel structure where mixed materials were bonded together. Remember the hollow core elements that shaved the weight down to an astonishingly light 4,000 pounds. There was also 4-wheel steering. Much was done with Omega that GM otherwise couldn’t do but had the liberty afforded to them because they were building a Cadillac platform. All of that though costs money. Surprisingly, for once, GM spent it.
Then there’s Blackwing. The real Blackwing V-8, not the decal gm puts on the truck of Chevy-engined cars today but an honest-to-goodness exclusive Cadillac engine. Beautiful to look at and purpose-built for Cadillac with quad cams, 32 valves and 4.2 liters. It too was novel and engineering tech could be lavished on it because it was only going to be sold in flagship products at a higher price point. Again, it most assuredly cost a lot to develop, test, validate, and certify with the EPA but GM finally spent the money to do it right.
All that money, all that time and gm sold just over 40,000 CT6 sedans and, shockingly, only 800 Blackwing-engined versions were produced. Why? It was the car Cadillac needed but they foolishly launched it with a 2-Liter I-4 turbo from GM’s parts bin and their ubiquitous 3.6 L V6 as the up-level powerplant. Neither was appropriate and both compromised engine choices held back demand. It was finally a real Cadillac but in search of a Cadillac engine. When it finally got the motor it deserved, in a flash it was gone. The reviews weren’t even written for the transformative Blackwing engine and GM had already announced the breakthrough engine was history.
It makes no sense. It’s as stupid as the money-squandering Fiat deal from 20 years earlier. It was a case where GM spent money to finally do right by Cadillac but then the bean counters came in and shut it all down. It’s a true tragedy for long-suffering Cadillac. They’ve had the proverbial rug pulled out from under them so many times by the money men. It’s been death by 1,000 cuts. I’ll never understand why they did it. The folks at Renaissance Center and especially the accounting team can be the stupidest around sometimes. Decisions like that are why Cadillac is Tier 2 and has little prestige left.
For all the years Cadillac needed a real flagship and all the money spent to finally build one, there are only 800 of them in existence. It’s just non-sensical.
Sales fell on the beautiful CT6 because of its stupid name ; which nobody could relate too & lack of V – 8 .
The Blackwing engine WAS putting it over .
GM could of shared that platform with Buick for a new Electra too !
miss the chrome frame around front and rear windows, but is better than any BMW or Audi or Mercedes Benz
Sure hope the future Caddy sedans run circles around the competition. If not why even bother. Way too many times that Caddy has made half hearted attempts then finally get it right then quit.
We have own 5 full sized Cadillacs. Recently we were ready to trade for a 2021 but there were none to be had. We test drove a 350 Lexus. We found it to be very well built and full of bells and whistles. The ride was better than in our CTS. The Lexus dealer had no problem getting all their models compared to empty General Motors dealer’s lots. The price on the Lexus was $42,000 and when we bought the CTS it stickered at $51000+, that was several years ago. We have watched Cadillac go down hill as far as styling and value. They cut so many options and accessories that were in earlier model years. They dumped the Northstar engine which was always great running and economical even at high speeds. General Motors is going to have to pull a rabbit out a hat to get back in the market they were 20 years ago.
Carlin,
I didn’t create the terms. Auto industry analysts did to differentiate between brands like BMW and Mercedes that were selling RWD V12 luxury sedans, coupes and convertibles and brands like Acura or Cadillac that top out with FWD V6 sedans based on their mainstream brands. By their thinking, BMW, with their 760Li was in a different stratosphere (Tier 1) from Cadillac with their XTS. Likewise a Mercedes SL or SLR had no peer at Acura so the latter brand is categorized as Tier 2.
To your point though, Mercedes does produce and sell a wide range of products under their Three-Pointed-Star logo and not all of them are truly luxury cars. Still, the point is valid. Cadillac, Acura, Infiniti, Lincoln, etc. don’t have products that reach the upper echelons as Mercedes, BMW, and Audi do.
I think Genesis is reaching higher with this G90 and approaching Tier 1 while Cadillac cancelled their CT6 and the Blackwing engine and thus pushed the brand’s esteem downmarket.
Cadillac doesn’t have fwd sedans, they only have fwd SUVs like the Xt4, xt5, and xt6. Cadillac ct5 v blackwing, Cadillac Escalade, and the Cadillac lyriq are products that are worth comparing to the Germans. There is more to come from Cadillac like the celestiq that will bring Cadillac either up or down. Cadillac has the ability to make a well rounded car, but they rushed to bring there SUVs to market and faced the consequences. Genesis is doing great but a lot of people don’t even know what genesis is much like Cadillac and Lincoln. The cadillac ct6 was a fine car but no standard of the world. Genesis is doing a fantastic job lately with cars like the GV70 and GV70e.
MY wife loved the look of the Genesis but after much research we found the nearest dealer was almost two hours away. A lot of customers reported that trying to get proper service or parts for their Genesis was painful to say the least. I would love to drive the new G90 but with no dealers it will never happen.
The MB is perhaps the only make that sets the standard more so than BMW & Audi for as being Tier 1 is concerned. The BMW and Audi on the higher-end struggle to compete with the S Class and few of the competitors from either have few competitors from the likes like the SL, GTS & G Class. Even Mercedes is building a hyper-car costing seven figures so the Mercedes sets the tone for luxury is concerned and perhaps the only brand that is tier 1 to some people.
John,
The difference is BMW has Rolls Royce and Audi is part of the group that owns Bentley. Thus, although you’ll find plenty of all-original and pricey BMWs and Audis, they don’t reach quite as high as Mercedes that only has one brand to run the gamut from delivery vans to exotic and luxury cars.
The thing about BMW is their products, with an exception or two, are all original designs purposely developed to be a BMW and to live up to their Ultimate Driving Machine credo. And every part can therefore be engineered to a higher standard because it only goes into a BMW. Thus an X5 is a BMW through and through whereas a Cadillac XT6 is really a Chevy under the skin and it uses a lot of parts engineered to be cheap enough for a low Chevy price point. To be fair, lots of brands like Acura and Infiniti do the same thing. They build “luxury” cars with Honda and Nissan parts. That’s why they’re Tier 2 though. Lexus does both so they manage to sneak into Tier 1. They have the fabulous LC500 and the S-Class-like LS500 but they’ve got a lot of plushed-up Toyota’s too.
Cadillac was on their way to doing what Lexus does with CT6 Blackwing, planned CT8, and the thoroughbred CT5 and CT4. Unfortunately they bailed and dropped the higher end stuff leaving their portfolio too heavily skewed towards lower priced FWD Chevy-based products.
I’ll be interesting to see if cadillac can climb up to tier 1 with the upcoming celestiq which will boast a whole lot of features, and I’m positive it won’t barrow any parts from Chevy. Also, the Lyriq is the next step toward tier one in my personal opinion, at least when cadillac offers AWD on it. The current Cadillac ICE cars are not competitive enough for the germans except for the Escalade and maybe the Blackwing cars. The Electric lineup of cadillacs will give cadillac a fresh new identity and might allow cadillac to maybe creep in into tier one with the germans.
Ultimate Driving Machine 🤣😂 🤣
More like BMW 🧻 since everyone and their mother has wiping their behinds with BMW’s performance cars for most of the decade.
Also Mercedes still sells smart cars in Europe. Giving it 2 brands.
Puting Genesis up there with the germans that make cars like the Mercedes AMG One or the upcoming 2023 BMW XM is a crime. Using your logic, Genesis is still in tier two because they have nothing that can compete against BMW M or Mercedes AMG. Cadillac is not as luxurious as genesis, at least until the Celestiq and Lyriq arrive, but cadillac has there Blackwing cars that will compete and even beat the German rivals on track which will elevate the brand’s identity. The Germans have both luxury and performance but Genesis only has luxury, so Genesis is not tier one yet.
I agree. I think I said they were “becoming” and “reaching for”. I agree though; they’re not really there yet but they are making the right moves and design is really critical. The G90 is a beautiful car with a Bentley-like vibe only modernized. Power plants are key too so it’ll be interesting to see if the V8 makes its way into this new G90.
People just can’t get over the fact that there are no tier 1 American car makes. As American style of luxury in terms of the automotive industry is not received well abroad. Also long gone are the days of Cadillac being prestigious. That ship sailed a long time ago with lowercase gm. Genesis is above Cadillac. Not sure I’d say they are tier 1. As in europe BMW, Audi and co are considered premium brands. Whereas Bentley and Rolls Royce are luxury. What we fall luxury in the states is really just premium to the world. Even so Cadillac is not in the league anymore with their German counterparts. Perception is also low for them too sadly. I say this as someone whom has always liked Cadillac. IMO loser lowercase gm ruined them.
Dblezy,
You’re exactly right. It gives me no pleasure to say this but Cadillac is not a competitor to any of the German luxury brands. They may have a model or two (CT4, CT5) that are good but overall they’re not in the same league. I think Genesis product-wise has eclipsed Cadillac. The biggest advantage Cadillac has is its name with a glorious history. They don’t have a lineup of products to match it though. Cadillac hasn’t been doing well for years but Barra and lowercase gm are pounding in the final nails.
Once the Celestiq debuts in the future, you will eat your words. Genesis is not even close to tier one, tier one is for only and most high end vehicles like Rolls Royce, Bentley, Mercedes maybach, or BMW. Genesis offers fantastic cars but they have nothing that competes with cars like mercedes Maybach. Or as Mohammad said earlier, they have zero performance cars. Not a single one of there cars have a V8. Some Cadillac products are downright cheap but Cadillac has the ability to make a well rounded car, but they rushed to bring there SUVs to market and faced the consequences. You need time and effort to develop a great car but cars like the Xt6 were rushed. Cadillac may possibly reach tier one because they have the Lyriq, a great ev suv, and the upcoming celestiq that will compete with the high end vehicles like Mercedes Maybach.
The history is the only thing holding Cadillac together in China. As the Chinese oddly enough do like brands with a history. It’s the same with Lincoln which has a prestigious history to them. Both brands are on borrowed time as the Chinese launch their all out assault with their own home grown battery pack cars. Thanks Joint Ventures! Eventually they will prefer their own brands. People are just salty. I keep hearing and reading about this 200k battery pack car. Firstly one should not pay that much for a battery car at this point in time. Second go buy a Bentley as they never lost their prestige and have always maintained a standard. Hyundai corporation as a whole is trending in a good direction and really making a name for themselves. Genesis is being treated the same way Cadillac fans have been wanting for so years now from lowercase gm. The field is getting so crowded and we can only hope that this last ditch effort under gm for Cadillac will work.
What ever happened to making a non sporty big sedan. Like a Escalade sedan and no stupid c Carbon fiber Trim. Pure luxury.
That would require too much common sense. I feel there is a viable market for a modern version of Fleetwood/Town Car AMERICAN luxury sedan.
Loved my ct6. But life changes forced me to get a pickup. Will always have a special place in my heart for my first big boy caddy. Always had basic cars before that, Bonneville, gmc terrain, dodge nitro (which I loved at the time). But the ct6 was such a high end car. My wide has the xt6 which really only has the cue in common. Could never put myself in a Korean car. Hope someday once kids get older to get another caddy sedan then. Looking forward to seeing the celestiq unveiled soon.
You Cadillac fanboys are hilarious! The CT6 is junk, which is exactly why it didn’t sell. Oh, and don’t even get me started on that awkward-ass drivers seat that made you feel like you were riding on top of the car. In CT6’s defense, though. This sedan was one of the smoothest sedans that I’ve ever driven; the car was also pretty quiet. MY2017 G90 Ultimate that I own is a fandamntastic vehicle. It’s the most reliable luxury car that I’ve ever owned, the cheapest luxury car I’ve ever had to maintain, and it’s the cheapest luxury car I’ve ever insured. Not a single thing has gone wrong in this car in 3 years of ownership. I can’t say the same thing about my MY2015 Mercedes-Benz S550. The damn thing was always at MB Service Center for some electrical or software issue. Don’t get me wrong, the car drove like a dream, but come on! $250 for a got damn oil change; you gotta be kidding me! I won’t even speak on all of the suspension issues MY2012 S550 gave me. What I’ve found is that a lot of internet fanboys have never owned the car that they so vehemently defend. G90 is the “best” luxury car value ever offered – with the exception of the first generation Lexus LS, of course. I’ve owned a couple of said LS’, and in my humble opinion, it’s the best luxury car ever production for the common man. It seems as though Genesis is going after Lexus like Lexus did to Mercedes back in 1989. Dollar for dollar, no other car competes with G90. Why spend $120k again for a new S580 when I can spend $80k and get a car that’s 95% of what S-Class has to offer? I can’t wait for MY2023 G90. If the car is anything like the first generation car, it’s going to be amazing!
Sorry the CT6 was not JUNK!.. Check the numbers on its sales it outsold all large luxury sedans except the S series..
You’re absolutely correct, Cadriver, but you’re forgetting a very important variable – demand. Since the CT6 debuted the sales numbers have decreased year-over-year – with the exception of its second year of production. G90 on the other hand decreased for one year and has remained consistent since then. Stable consumers ensure production longevity – which is why the G90 will see a new generation and the CT6 will not. The numbers don’t lie. Consumers still want the Korean luxury car. We can’t say the same about GM’s offering.
That looks like a pimpmobile.
And when Cadillac was popular with pimps they SOLD to CEOS & old money too.
Maybe Cadillac needs to appeal to pimps again to survive !
Ct6v Blackwing is still God tier. For the price and what you get ie power features tech it was a steal.
Have you noticed how many product lines GM has “no competition for”? They make nothing now. I went to an Auto Show last night and GM didn’t even show up. The product planning is absolutely a joke. No innovation. No creative thinking. Inferior products in every category. Corvette is the only exception. All of GM leadership needs to be replaced. They are not car people. Oh, and jumping on the EV train will be a disaster. They move too slow for that market. How are Bolt sales going?
Couldn’t agree with you more. Have you noticed how every other auto manufacturer except the American ones…GM, and Ford, still manufacture automobiles. ICE sedans and coupes. GM and Ford will be bankrupt in 10 years and the Chinese or Koreans will buy their operations.
I have noticed that, John. However, it’s for a pretty good reason. American sedans don’t sell because they’re inferior to their German and Asian competitors. It’s clear that American consumers are interested in SUV’s and hatchbacks at this present moment in time. I agree with both Ford’s and GM’s decision to cease production on all sedans. Sometimes, when you build it, they don’t come haha!
Chris,
I think gm is probably wise to try for once to lead in an emerging space in the market like EVs. The trouble is gm abandoned and eliminated everything else to do so making their foray a huge risk. They’re ahead of Toyota I guess in EVs although at this point it’s all hype with no products actually for sale. Toyota though is still a full-line carmaker with every category competently covered while gm only covers a cherry-picked few.
If the public embraces EVs en masse, gm will likely do well but so far they haven’t started buying them in big numbers and if they don’t, gm seemingly has no backup plan. It’s truly sad how far they’ve fallen. They’re just a truck maker now. They used to have “a car for every purse and purpose” as Alfred P. Sloan once quipped and went on to use in advertising. Now, as you said, gm has a limited lineup and doesn’t show up at auto shows.
The reason why GM does not show up at some to several auto shows is that it costs money to reserve a spot. The fancier auto shows like LA, Detroit, Chicago & NY will be a sure bet to see GM there. Down here, Cadillac had been nonexistent for several years now.
Too bad they dropped the V8. I’ve seen a couple G90’s on the street. Just can’t picture myself in one. The styling is just too over the top. I realize they are making their own statement, but my ’13 XTS in white diamond has just the right amount of presence for me.
This Genesis is what Cadillac WAS . Bold. exciting , controversial & has presence.
And best of all ?
A SEDAN ! Not a dam crossover or gloried truck .
This car will SELL & I for one LOVE it ; want one .
I could just see this pasted on an old glamorous Cadillac ad from the 60 s & 70s with ease ..
Bravo Genesis. ; you have class & courage ; long gone at faux Cadillac.
Why GN just does not sell the brand to people who understand what Cadillac shouid be , or just fold it is beyond me …..but the public turning away is doing that for them .
GM dropping Buick Sedans ;Chevy pulls them down too .
All they live o. is the life support of past glory ; forgotten & obviously not cared about by the Divisions leadership.
Some time ago GM went down the rabbit hole of let’s make all the money we can by spending less on products. They forgot to think long term and the old saying you have to spend money to make money. If you spend the time ,money and effort to make you vehicles superior to the competition that goes a long way in insuring your long term survival. They should be ashamed of being third of fourth choice in you own country
GM is being destroy , as so many companies by privare equity ;& Wall Street speculators who milk companies for all they can & leave a gusk behind .
Finance Capital run amok ; which is not true ‘ free enterprise ‘
RBAFEBRUARY 1, 2022 AT 4:50 PM
I own a 2019 CT-6 Premium Luxury. A great car. Since 2011 I’ve owned 3 Buick Lacrosse’s. The total stupidity of GM to pull these cars from the US market is “DUMB”. First the new CEO of GM pulls the Pontiac in favor of Buick…….Again another “DUMB” move. I am not interested in SUV’s/COV’s. I had an Acadia. Kept it for 2 weeks. Traded for my first Lacrosse in 2011. Had a Terrain kept it for 1 year. Can’t get CT-6, CTS, XTS, ATS. Instead the IDIOTS at GM has graciously given the public two TRASH CANS. CT-5/CT-4. Sorry! These are not Cadillac’s. I would never own Jap, also TRASH CANS. Looks like Korean. Or European. I like the Beemer 5/7 series.
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GM motto. I would rather quit than fight. I am still trying to be a GM fan but they keep making it harder. I have owned many GM vehicles over the years. True they all were not perfect but they were still some of the best autos on the road. Of course that was back in the day when GM would fight to stay competitive rather than quit.