The rumors of the sedan’s death have been greatly exaggerated, at least at Genesis. The South Korean luxury automaker is enjoying record sales this year, and although much of that growth is driven by its popular SUVs, the entry-level G70 is still holding its own in a crossover-crazy world. That said, the automaker made a strong choice by giving the excellent compact sport sedan a similarly excellent SUV sibling years ago, as the GV70 is also proving very popular.
Small Cars, Big Personality
2025 Genesis GV70 3.5T AWD Red Front Angled ViewGenesis
The GV70 was once again Genesis’ best-selling product in July 2026, with total sales of 2,978 for the month and a year-to-date total of 20,506 units. Those are respective improvements of 10 and 16 percent compared to the same time periods last year, and the automaker’s July totals were its best ever. It’s not hard to understand the GV70’s appeal, with fresh styling, standard all-wheel drive, segment-leading interior materials, and a sub-$50k starting price making it a very compelling alternative to the surprisingly plasticky BMW X3 and the pricey Mercedes-Benz GLC.
2025-2026 Genesis G70 front 3/4 view in blue while parkedGenesis
Many of the same plaudits apply to Genesis’ best-selling sedan, the G70. Introduced for the 2017 model year and refreshed a couple times since then, the G70 is rather dated by modern vehicle standards, but the athletic chassis, polished interior, and long list of standard features make it an appealing alternative to the 3 Series and A5 sedans. Although it doesn’t sell in the same large numbers as those rivals, the G70 nonetheless found 1,073 new homes in July, with a year-to-date total of 6,653. The former number is a slight 4 percent downturn from July 2025, but year-to-date, the compact sport sedan is up 6 percent.
Give It Up For The Other SUVs
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Still, in 2026, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Genesis’ most popular vehicles continue to be its SUVs. The GV80 and its fastback sibling sold a combined total of 2,372 units last month, an increase of about 10 percent compared to July 2025. Year-to-date sales are likewise up by about 8 percent to 14,536 examples.
That was enough to offset the all-electric GV60’s precipitous 54-percent drop so far this year, totaling just 598 units through the first seven months of 2026. The GV70 and GV80 are likewise helping compensate for the slower sales of Genesis’ midsize and large sedans, both of which suffered for both the month of July and the year to date.
We presume Genesis sales will continue to improve, especially with the impending arrival of the GV60 Magma high-performance electric crossover and the flagship GV90 full-size SUV. We drove the former earlier this year and came away very impressed, and we’ll see the big luxury ute later this month – we’ll be sure to bring you all the gossip then.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
The Genesis G70 isn’t the only four-door to do numbers in 2026, suggesting that the industry’s shift away from the body style may be a bit short-sighted. The luxury sedan’s distant Hyundai cousins also performed well last month, as are four-doors from Honda and Toyota. We hope that Generation Z’s affinity for the lower, sleeker, and more efficient body style will continue to mount, giving automakers more of a reason to keep sedans around for the near future.
Base Trim Engine
2.5L I4 ICE
Base Trim Transmission
8-speed automatic
Base Trim Drivetrain
Rear-Wheel Drive
Base Trim Horsepower
300 HP @5800 RPM
Base Trim Torque
311 lb.-ft. @ 1650 RPM
Base Trim Fuel Economy (city/highway/combined)
21/29/24 MPG
Base Trim Battery Type
Lead acid battery
Infotainment & Features
9 /10
Source: Genesis
