Another BMW 3 Series Competitor on the Brink of Extinction

For nearly ten years, Genesis has been striving to make the G70 sedan a success. As a rising Korean luxury brand aiming to compete with Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, having a compact sporty model was essential. Despite various engine options, facelifts, and even offering a manual transmission, the G70 never reached the sales heights of its German rivals — even as Genesis’ SUV sales continue to climb.

The automaker can’t keep pushing indefinitely, especially with US sales barely exceeding 12,000 units annually. According to a recent report and analysis, the G70 may soon be discontinued from the Genesis lineup both in the US and globally.

Low Volume and High Costs Weigh on the G70’s Future

“The model’s low sales volume combined with its relatively modest price make it difficult to justify continuing production,” Sam Fiorani, VP of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, told HARJA. He explained that the G70 is an expensive model for Genesis compared to competitors. “It demands unique engineering, like a high-performance longitudinally mounted four-cylinder engine, just to keep pace with BMW and Mercedes-Benz,” Fiorani added.

BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi benefit from using shared platforms across multiple models. For instance, the BMW 3 Series shares its underlying architecture with many other vehicles in the lineup, including previous X3 and 5 Series models. Audi and Mercedes-Benz follow a similar approach. In contrast, Genesis does not seem to share the same architecture between the G70 and even the GV70 SUV, making low sales volumes harder to justify from a cost perspective.

We suspected the G70 was on borrowed time as early as 2023, especially after the Kia Stinger—which shares a platform with the Genesis—was discontinued that same year. At an event earlier this year, Marc Choi, Genesis’s Chief Product & Safety Officer, gave a cautious response when asked about the G70’s future. While he expressed a “strong desire” within the company to develop a next-generation G70, he also emphasized that the brand is increasingly focused on pursuing a more exclusive luxury direction.

What’s the official word? A Genesis spokesperson stated, “We will continue to offer models that meet the needs of US consumers, and we don’t have plans to discontinue the G70 at this time.” While this doesn’t signal the sedan’s imminent departure, it also stops short of promising a long future for the G70.

One Less Model in a Shrinking Segment

The compact sporty-sedan segment was once a staple in the US market, but it has nearly vanished today. Despite this decline, some models continue to find success. BMW, for example, sold about 37,000 units combining the 4 Series coupe and 3 Series sedan, while the Mercedes-Benz C-Class moved around 14,000 units. By comparison, the Genesis G70 managed just over 5,000 sales.

When it first launched, the G70 came with a 252-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, available with either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic transmission, alongside a 365-horsepower 3.3-liter V6. Later versions replaced the 252-hp engine with a more powerful 300-horsepower automatic-only four-cylinder, while the V6 received tweaks to boost its performance slightly.

In 2021, Genesis introduced the strikingly stylish G70 Shooting Brake in Europe. Although many wished it had been offered in the US, it likely wouldn’t have made a significant impact on sales here. While exact figures are unclear, estimates suggest that fewer than 1,000 units have been sold in other markets.