Hyundai’s Genesis GV70 named MotorTrend’s 2022 SUV of the year

Hyundai Motor Co.’s GV70, a sport utility vehicle under the South Korean automaker’s premium sub-brand Genesis, has been named the SUV of the year by MotorTrend, a prestigious US automobile media outlet.

The GV70 beat nearly three dozen contenders, including the Ford Bronco, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Wrangler 4xe, to claim the accolade, according to MotorTrend.

"We're thrilled to honor the Genesis GV70 with our SUV of the Year award," said Ed Loh, head of editorial at MotorTrend Group. "The GV70 astounds in the way it achieves all-around excellence thanks to its fresh design, ample power, comfortable ride quality, and impressive feature set.”

The Genesis GV70 was judged the winner from a field of 35 total all-new or significantly redesigned SUVs in the award's six criteria: safety, efficiency, value, advancement in design, engineering excellence, and performance of intended function.

This marks the third time a Hyundai Motor Group vehicle has won MotorTrend’s car of the year award: the G70 sedan in 2019 and Kia Corp.’s large-size SUV Telluride in 2020.

Industry officials said the Genesis GV70’s winning of the 2022 SUV of the Year has heightened its chance of victory at the 2022 North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year (NACTOY) Awards to be announced early next year.

Contenders for the NACTOY awards, among the world’s most honorable auto awards, include the GV70, the Ford Bronco, Hyundai’s all-electric SUV IONIQ 5, the Tucson, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Kia’s Carnival and Volkswagen’s ID.4.

Write to Byung-Uk Do at dodo@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.