2026 Genesis Cars: What’s New With G70, G80, and G90
Genesis sharpens its luxury sedan lineup with new trims, tech upgrades, and fresh design details, but it’s the end of the road for one all-electric offering.
Genesis rolls out a series of focused updates across its compact, midsize, and full-size luxury sedans for 2026. Each model sees trim adjustments, feature changes, and fresh design touches—from added color options and tech upgrades to the arrival of model-specific Prestige Black editions—aimed at keeping the brand’s luxury sedans competitive and sharply styled in a shifting market. Keep reading to see what’s new on every 2025 Genesis car.
2026 Genesis G70
Updates this year streamline the G70 range, with a few modern touches added. A new Capri Blue exterior paint option replaces Tasman Blue and Burleigh Blue. The 2.5T model adds a beige interior theme but drops gray and Sport interior options, as well as higher-end cabin materials like Nappa leather and a suede headliner.
Features packaging also sees change. The 2.5T Prestige gets new wheels and aluminum trim but loses alloy pedals and its dark chrome grille. A heated steering wheel is now standard on 2.5T AWD trim and above, but the power trunk is discontinued across all trims. The 3.3T Sport Prestige drops its adaptive suspension, but tech upgrades bring a Surround View Monitor to the 2.5T Prestige and make it standard on all 3.3T models.
MotorTrend Ranked: #4 in luxury compact sedans (2026 model)
Read Our Experts’ Full Genesis G70 Review
2026 Genesis G80
As with the G70, a new Ceres Blue exterior color is now offered on the G80 2.5T Sport Prestige and 3.5T Sport Prestige, while Tasman Blue and Makalu Gray Matte exit the palette. The 3.5T Sport Advanced AWD trim is discontinued, making room for the addition of the 3.5T Prestige Black AWD.
The new Prestige Black adds a trim-specific stealth-inspired package to the G80. It features 20-inch black alloy wheels with floating center caps, black brake calipers, darkened exterior accents, and a gloss black grille. Inside, the theme continues with black Nappa leather seats with exclusive quilting, Black Ash open-pore wood trim, anodized speaker grilles, and blacked-out controls and switchgear. Even the digital experience is customized with Prestige Black–specific infotainment themes, OLED animations, and exclusive key fobs.
Other G80 updates add more convenience across trims. Manual rear sunshades are newly available on 2.5T Advanced AWD, 2.5T Sport Prestige AWD, and 3.5T Prestige Black AWD. The latest Genesis Digital Key 2, along with a wireless device charger, joins the feature set for the 2.5T Advanced AWD and 3.5T Prestige Black AWD.
MotorTrend Ranked: #4 in luxury midsize sedans (2025 model)
Read Our Experts’ Full Genesis G80 Review
2026 Genesis G80 Electric
Genesis has discontinued the G80 Electric in the U.S. after just two model years (2023 and 2024), removing it from its website and confirming there will be no 2025 year-model version. Although it was slated for a refresh in 2026—featuring a 5.1-inch-longer wheelbase and a 27-inch combo dash display—that update will not reach our market. The decision is largely driven by weak sales and rising costs, including import tariffs, which have made the model unviable for Genesis.
We like the G80 Electric despite its compromises. It delivers a quiet and refined ride, strong powertrain performance (0–60 mph in about 4.1 seconds), and an upscale interior with premium materials. On the flipside, the electric version of the G80 loses some passenger space (especially in the rear) and cargo volume, and its higher floor and seating compromises affect comfort. Also, its charging speed and range are good but not class-leading compared to newer EVs built on dedicated electric platforms.
MotorTrend Ranked: #1 in electric midsize luxury cars (2025 model)
Read Our Experts’ Full Genesis G80 Electric Review
2026 Genesis G90
For 2026, the Genesis G90 introduces a handful of updates that sharpen the model lineup and improve its safety tech. Like the G80, a new 3.5T Prestige Black AWD trim joins the range, bringing an exclusive dark-themed look to the flagship sedan. Although both share gloss black accents, wheels, and darkened interiors, the G90 rides on 21-inch wheels, larger than the G80’s 20-inch set, uses higher-grade semi-aniline Nappa leather instead of standard Nappa, and adds a brass-accented G-Matrix inlay to its Black Ash wood trim.
Practical upgrades also arrive for the new model year. The G90 now comes with flat-blade windshield wipers featuring integrated washers, designed to improve cleaning efficiency and visibility. Safety systems get refinements, as well, with enhanced warning sounds for blind-spot collision avoidance assist, lane keeping assist, and parking distance warning, giving drivers clearer alerts in everyday situations.
MotorTrend Ranked: #1 in luxury full-size sedans (2025 model)
Read Our Experts’ Full Genesis G90 Review
2026 Genesis Cars: What’s New
- 2026 Genesis G70: Minor update
- 2026 Genesis G80: Minor update
- 2026 Genesis G80 Electric: Discontinued
- 2026 Genesis G90: Minor update
Bob Hernandez
Tesla’s New Budget Models Are Here—Are the Savings Worth the Sacrifices?
Turns out that Tesla didn’t just create a cheaper Model Y, it added a cheaper Model 3 to go with it.Justin BannerWriter
ManufacturerPhotographerOct 07, 2025
After months of teasing, Tesla has finally revealed its cheapest Model Y yet that comes with less to offer—the most important of which is less price. As it turns out, Tesla was doing similar things to its Model 3 sedan, adding a more stripped down, base model of its entry-level sedan to pair with the least expensive version of its best-selling SUV.
Known as the Model 3 and Y Standard trims, at $38,630 to start, the Model 3 Standard is now the least expensive Tesla you can buy ($5,500 less than the next cheapest model), while at $41,630, the Model Y Standard is $5,000 less than the next-step up Model Y. So, what was sacrificed to get to those bargain basement prices?
Standard Model Y and 3 Range and Performance
On specs alone (hat tip to Kyle from OutOfSpecReviews), the Model Y and Model 3 Standards will lose out in terms of performance. Both are RWD only versions with less range and acceleration out of the box. The Model 3 Standard will reportedly be capable of traveling 321 miles on a full charge using a smaller, 69.5-kWh battery pack, 42 miles less than the Model 3 Premium RWD (formerly known as Long Range) with its 80-kWh battery pack. The loss of rear motor output means a slower 0-to-60 mph time as well, which is reportedly 5.8 seconds for the Model 3 Standard versus 4.9 seconds for Premium RWD (although curiously, both cars reportedly have the same 286 horsepower). Top speed stays the same at 125 mph.
The Model Y Standard will see similar range and performance changes. Its range will be the same as the 3 Standard at 321 miles, which is down 36 miles over the Y Premium RWD. Acceleration to 60 mph is 6.8 seconds for the 300-horsepower Y Standard, a substantial increase of 1.4 seconds over the Y Premium (both are also top speed limited to 125 mph). When it comes to charging speeds, both Standard models are also not as fast there either with 225 kilowatt speeds as opposed to 250 for the higher spec RWD models.
Tire wise, a switch to 18-inch Hankook Ion Evo high-efficiency EV tires for both Standard models likely help with range but also no doubt sacrifice some grip performance in the process. The Model Y Premium rolls on 19-inch wheels over the 18-inch Aperture wheels that are part of the Standard trim (you can option up to 19s, however). On the plus side, the one-inch reduction of wheel size should bump up the sidewall height on the Model Y and could lead to a bit more compliant ride versus the 19s. Given that 18s are already standard for the Model 3 Premium, there should be no real change in how the Standard 3 will perform over the Premium from a tire performance standpoint.
Some Light Exterior Touches
Both Standard models also see exterior changes that are more pronounced for the Model Y Standard. The lightbars across its frunk and rear liftgate connecting the headlights and brake lights together have been deleted. This will be a huge indicator if you’re driving a Standard or Premium version of the Model Y. The Model 3 Standard will be less of a tell as there are no lightbars to change, but the 18-inch Prismata wheels are of a different design and far more closed.
Each model gets automatic high-beam LED headlights, but neither will have adaptive light control. Exterior mirror controls will have manual functions now, with the Model Y going to manually folding units, while the Model 3’s now manually adjustable. As far as color options are concerned, the standard (no pun) no-cost coat is Stealth Grey, a nearly black hued gray that is the same across all trim levels. For an additional $1,000 you can get your Standard 3 or Y in Pearl White Multi-Coat or for $1,500 you can get them sprayed in Diamond Black. There are no other color options beyond those at present.
So, About that Glass Roof
Inside, as you’d expect, the Standard trims have been trimmed back some as well. First up, the perforated vegan leather surfaces have been replaced with textile inserts, but the rest of the surfaces will still use the not-so-cow hide and microsuede materials. The wrap-around ambient interior lighting of higher-spec models is gone, but footwell and door pocket lighting will remain. The steering column uses manual controls to adjust the steering wheel position, but the front seats do retain power adjustability and heating, and instead of reaching between the seat and door for the controls, adjustments are made in the menu on the infotainment screen. The rear seats will be a manual folding affair with manual head rests on the Model Y Standard.
One of the strangest moves Tesla made for the Model Y Standard is what it did with the glass roof. Instead of using metal or a rumored fiberglass top, Tesla elected to retain the glass setup but instead covered it up with a conventional headliner (the Model 3 Standard retains its panoramic glass). Additionally, Tesla removed the Model Y’s rear passenger screen and its ‘air wave’ rear ventilation for the Standard and replaced it with a pair of USB C connections and manually adjustable second-row vents. Removing the air wave has allowed the center console for the Model Y to increase its storage space for the front occupants, with a look and feel reminiscent of the Cybertruck. Tesla has also simplified the entertainment system by reducing it to a seven-speaker system (over the 15 speakers plus subwoofer on the Premium) and it doesn’t list the inclusion of an FM radio connection.
The Model 3 Standard retains the same center console design as other Model 3s, with the major change being exposed front cup holders on the Standard trim. Its audio system has the same seven-speaker offering on the Premium RWD, but the Standard RWD does not list its FM/AM radio connection. We had seen that there would be a less powerful radio option, but we weren’t expecting the loss of a terrestrial radio connection in the Standard trim’s content. While Autopilot isn’t standard (due to the lack of Autosteer functionality), you do get adaptive cruise control, and you can option for the $8,000 Full Self-Driving (FSD) on the Standard trims. How the lack of Autosteer gets resolved when you do go for the option of FSD on the Standard isn’t mentioned by Tesla on the features and options lists.
Sub-Standard Sales Potential?
When looking at the Standard trim of the Model 3 and Model Y, you start to wonder if they are worth it. While they are well below $45,000, a slightly used 2025 model year version of either vehicle can be had for equal or even less money, and you’ll get all the content lost to create the Standard trims. Still, there will be those who just must have an all-new Tesla for as cheap as possible, and the Model 3 and Y Standard trims will fill that void. We do wonder how many people will go for the lower-priced models with less content, however, given how quickly Tesla pulled the low-cost version of the Cybertruck due to weak demand only after five months or so.
Justin Banner
Having experience in many forms of the automotive industry, Justin Banner has done more than just write about cars. For more than 15 years, he’s had experience working as an automotive service technician—including a stint as a Virginia State Inspector—service advisor, parts sales, and aftermarket parts technical advisor (a fancy way of saying he helped you on the phone when you had trouble fitting your brakes over your aftermarket wheels and the like). Prior to his tenure as a full-time editor, Justin worked as a freelance writer and photographer for various publications and as an automotive content creator on YouTube. He’s also covered multiple forms of motorsports ranging from Formula Drift, drag racing, and time attack, to NASCAR, short course off-roading, and open desert racing. He’s best known for breaking down complex technical concepts so a layperson can more easily understand why technologies, repairs, and parts should matter to them. At MotorTrend, Justin is part of the news team covering breaking news and topics while also working as a judge for MotorTrend Of the Year events and other major comparison tests.
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Why Our BMW M2 Is the Perfect Road-Trip Car
Cities, mountains and deserts are all home turf for our yearlong review M2.Christian SeabaughWriter, Photographer
Oct 07, 2025
Ten years ago this past summer, my partner and I tied the knot, later driving off to the sunset-lit shores of Lake Tahoe for our honeymoon in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4×4 that our wedding party lovingly christened “the Sea Bus.” Seeking to celebrate a decade of partnership, we decided to revisit Lake Tahoe for a week of lakeside fun. Just as the Mercedes was perfect then, our yearlong review 2025 BMW M2 ended up being a similarly perfect fit.
We split our journey down memory lane into three parts: The first leg would take us up from Los Angeles to San Francisco via freeway; the second across the Gold Rush–era mountain towns of the Sierra Nevada, to Tahoe; the third would see us down through the vast expanse of Death Valley on the way home. During those three legs, we came to the realization that for a family of two, the M2 is one heck of a road trip car, maybe one of the best.
Stress-Free Interstate and Urban Travel
At risk of eating my words, I think I discovered our M2’s absolute limit when it comes to space for people and things during our first leg from SoCal up to San Francisco, where we were planning to spend our first few nights with friends and catch a concert. We stuffed a large rolling suitcase, a carry-on-friendly duffel bag, a large backpack and handbag, a couple shopping bags of gifts, and another couple filled with food into it. Oh, and our 60-pound dog, her food, and, of course, her toys. It was … a lot of stuff, requiring us to temporarily slide the front seats forward to utilize space on the rear floor. Had we had one more bag, one of us would be riding on the roof. And it probably wouldn’t have been the dog.
Despite running out of space, the M2 made what would’ve otherwise been a sinfully boring 400-mile jaunt up California’s spine easy. With the engine happily spinning at around 3,000 rpm in sixth gear at 75 mph, there’s always plenty of torque on tap to pass slower traffic without having to bother downshifting, while the automatic rev matching gave me one less thing to manage while dealing with traffic, which slowed to a crawl as we approached the Bay Area. The only things I wished for from the Bimmer were radar cruise control (only available on automatic M2s) and perhaps a little more refinement in its lane keep assist settings—I couldn’t quite find the goldilocks zone between not enough and too much assist.
Curvy Mountain Climbs? No Problem
The few days we spent in San Francisco in our M2 were a blur, but not because of any high speeds we were traveling. Instead, the BMW seamlessly blended into the scenery of driverless cars, trolleys, and cyclists. Its small size made it easy to park and maneuver around denser areas of the city, its trunk gave us valuable covered storage that some competitors lack, and the automatic hill hold function helped take the stress out of driving a manual transmission car in one of the hilliest cities in the nation.
Even so, we couldn’t wait to get out of the city. Cutting through towns like Placerville (formerly known as “Hangtown”) and Coloma, our route was stunning in its beauty. Tall pines and granite blurred past as we wound through Gold Rush towns en route to Tahoe. Here, the roads twisted and turned along the banks of the American River and its pioneer-era wagon tracks. Two westbound and a single eastbound lane up steep, curvy roads made for slow going as traffic stacked up behind big rigs and weekend traffic. I lived for the “Passing Lane Ahead” signs. As we neared, I’d toggle the bright red M1 button on the left side of the steering wheel, which cued up one of the custom drive modes I created: Sport Plus on the engine, Sport on the brakes and suspension, auto rev-match off (I’ve set up M2 to be more aggressive still). Then it’s simply a matter of heel-toeing down to third—this gear seems to cover everything given the stoutness of the Bimmer’s twin-turbo straight-six—and weaving down the passing lanes as we cut our way through the traffic.
As I was in this rhythm, I grew to really appreciate the M2’s exceptional chassis control and brake feel. The brakes are completely by-wire, but they feel natural underfoot with plenty of stopping power to slow back down as the passing lanes end, while the chassis easily handled left and right transitions as well as the all-too-common ruts caused by heavy trucks and heavier winters. Before we knew it, we’d cleared the biggest holdup of the day—an overloaded school-bus-turned-camper—and had the rest of the ribbony stretch of asphalt to ourselves until we were greeted by Tahoe’s deep blue shores.
Goodbye Boredom
Our time in Tahoe was primarily spent languidly lounging at the beach, so the M2 rarely got a workout beyond crawling through South Lake Tahoe’s traffic. It was there that we noticed how much our filthy car was starting to develop bad brake squeals. A quick search on BMW forums revealed that the high-performance brake pads on the M2 can cough up a lot of dust, coating the rotor (indeed our wheels looked positively copper after our run from Los Angeles to Tahoe). A quick car wash solved the problem immediately, which was good because it turned out we’d need the M2 in peak shape for our journey back home.
U.S. Route 395 in California traces the Owens Valley, framed by the 14,000-foot-tall Mount Whitney and the rest of the Sierra Nevada on the west, and the White and Inyo Mountains on the east, with the famed Panamint and Death Valleys lying just beyond. Normally I’d take a straight shot home after such a long trip, but considering the beauty of our route on the way back and the plentiful good roads, we decided to take the long way, detouring to hit any interesting squiggly spot on the map we saw.
I’m glad we did. I’ve driven 395 countless times, yet our journey home allowed me to see parts of our country I’d never seen as I further explored just how exceptional our M2 is to drive in the process. Our first detour was relatively soon into what’d become our 11-hour trip home. Once clear of the distinctive Tufa towers of Mono Lake, we detoured into the June Lake Loop, a short, 16-mile jaunt that traces three subalpine lakes and their respective small towns nestled in a little valley of their own. The roadways were pristine and the scenery gorgeous, though they presented precious few opportunities to stretch the M2’s legs. An interesting aside for the history nerds and treasure seekers out there: Legend has it gambling was rampant in the area during the 1930s to help entertain (aka fleece) the workers building the aqueducts leading down to Los Angeles. When rumors of a raid by the state swept through, local merchants scrambled to dump their slot machines into the lakes, which people still search for today.
After a more somber detour to the Manzanar National Historic Site, where thousands of innocent Americans of Japanese ancestry were imprisoned during World War II, and exploring Alabama Hills, a favorite shooting locale for old Hollywood, we detoured into the Panamint Valley toward Death Valley.
“Star WarsCanyon”—officially Rainbow Canyon—is known for acrobatic low-level military flights through the area, but I’m surprised I haven’t heard many enthusiasts talk about it. With a twisting strip of graying asphalt that mimics the adjacent canyon that fighter jets rip through, the roadway is a roller-coaster ride, with frequent elevation, direction, and speed changes. It was a stretch that really highlighted how well balanced the M2 is, with its meaty powerband that makes the most of every gear, its strong and consistent brakes, and a nose eager for the next transition. At the end of the canyon there was a roller-coaster-like drop, the road descending 2,600 feet into the Panamint Valley.
It’s easy to be lulled to sleep on what are effectively 50 miles of arrow-straight roads and unchanging desert scenery. In fact, after at least six hours in the car at this point, that’s just what my wife did. Without a waking soul in sight (though keeping in mind she’s a light sleeper), I put my foot down and we rocketed across the valley. As our sustained speed rose, I was pleasantly surprised by how stable yet responsive the M2 felt, even when left in its default comfort configuration. The suspension and chassis were never upset by varying pavement quality; it smoothly slowed down for patchy spots, and the engine is so torque rich that by the end of our valley sprint I was simply lugging the BMW back up to speed in sixth. My wife’s first words when she woke up a couple hours later near the MotorTrend test tracks? “Oh, yay, we’re almost home.” I’d argue we never left.
More on Our Long-Term 2025 BMW M2:
- Are We Going to Regret Our PVOTY Choice?
- Our 2025 BMW M2: Tested!
- The Long Way
- The One Way Our M2 Is Like an EV
- You’ll Never Guess What Fits in Our M2
- Here’s How BMW Decided To Offer This Sweet Purple Paint
- Is Our M2 Better Than an Audi RS3?
| MotorTrend’s 2025 BMW M2 | |
| SERVICE LIFE | 9 months/10,194 miles |
| BASE/AS TESTED PRICE | $66,075/$77,325 |
| OPTIONS | Twilight Metallic Purple paint ($3,000), M carbon roof ($2,600), M Driver’s package ($2,500: 177-mph top speed, one day at a BMW Performance Center), Live Cockpit Pro with head-up display ($1,100), carbon-fiber trim ($800), Lighting package ($650: adaptive LED headlights, automatic high-beams), heated steering wheel ($200), parking assistant ($200), wireless device charging ($200), six-speed manual ($0), M dual-spoke bicolor 93 wheels ($0), black Vernasca leather with M color highlight upholstery ($0) |
| EPA CTY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON; COMB RANGE | 16/23/19 mpg; 260 miles |
| AVERAGE FUEL ECON | 20.8 mpg |
| ENERGY COST PER MILE | $0.25 |
| MAINTENANCE AND WEAR | $0.00 (1,200 mile break-in service: oil and differential fluid change, $0; 10,000 mile service: oil and filter change, key fob battery replacement, $0) |
| DAMAGES | None |
| DAYS OUT OF SERVICE/WITHOUT LOANER | None |
| DELIGHTS | BMW’s infotainment system is more stable than it used to be |
| ANNOYANCES | Squealing brakes are no fun |
| RECALLS | None |
Christian Seabaugh
I generally like writing—especially when it’s about cars—but I hate writing about myself. So instead of blathering on about where I was born (New York City, in case you were wondering) or what type of cars I like (all of ’em, as long as it has a certain sense of soul or purpose), I’ll answer the one question I probably get most, right after what’s your favorite car (see above): How’d you get that job? Luck. Well, mostly. Hard work, too. Lots of it. I sort of fell into my major of journalism/mass communication at St. Bonaventure University and generally liked it a lot. In order to complete my degree senior year, we had to spend our last two semesters on some sort of project. Seeing as I loved cars and already spent a good portion of my time reading about cars on sites such as Motor Trend, I opted to create a car blog. I started a Tumblr, came up with a car-related name (The Stig’s American Cousin), signed up for media access on a bunch of manufacturer’s websites, and started writing. I did everything from cover new trim levels to reviewing my friends’ cars. I even wrote a really bad April Fool’s Day post about the next Subaru Impreza WRX being Toyota-Corolla-based. It was fun, and because it was fun, it never felt like work. Sometime after my blog had gotten off the ground, I noticed that Motor Trend was hiring for what’s now our Daily News Team. I sent in my résumé and a link to my blog. I got the job, and two weeks after graduation I made the move from New York to California. I’ve been happily plugging away at a keyboard—and driving some seriously awesome hardware—ever since.
