Genesis is getting its flagship ready for a second act, and the Genesis G90 facelift leaked images now show most of what’s changing. Test cars in South Korea are wearing thinner camouflage, and Hyundai has reportedly put a December launch date on the car at home. For US buyers, the question is how long the refreshed G90 takes to cross the Pacific, and what it does to a sedan that already starts at $92,700.
Where the Genesis G90 facelift leaked images came from
The first clear look came from the Korean car account SHORTS CAR (@shorts_car), which caught a fully wrapped G90 on a Korean street with its lights switched on. Motor1 ran the photo, and its story resurfaced in Google News on November 2. In that shot, the two-line lights look slimmer than today’s, the crest grille looks narrower, and a lit strip runs along its lower edge. Motor1 thinks the whole grille surround lights up.
Newer photos show much more. Korean YouTube channel Healer TV (힐러TV) filmed a test car in a thin, tight wrap, and Korean outlet News-WA published the images on November 2. The headlights are now two long, thin strips that run back along the hood line. The bumper has big intakes at each corner and a wider lower grille. At the back, matching thin two-line taillights sit under a trunk lid with a slight lip. The wheels are new as well, with thick spokes, and the dark roof suggests a panoramic glass panel. Those last two points are our reading of the photos.
What’s confirmed
Genesis hasn’t revealed the refreshed G90 or said anything about US timing. According to The Korean Car Blog, Hyundai said on its October 29 third-quarter earnings call that the G90 facelift will launch in South Korea in December. That’s the closest thing to an official date so far, and it covers Korea only.
What’s on sale here now is the 2026 G90. Genesis USA lists three trims: 3.5T AWD at $92,700, 3.5T E-SC AWD at $103,000, and 3.5T E-SC Prestige Black AWD at $105,750. Per U.S. News, destination adds $1,495, the twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 makes 375 hp, and the electric supercharger raises that to 409 hp. All-wheel drive is standard.
What’s rumored or reported
Inside, earlier test-car photos showed three round, metal-ringed gauges in place of today’s screen-heavy cluster. Both Motor1 and News-WA mention them. Motor1 expects the V6 engines to carry over and floats a possible plug-in hybrid. News-WA instead expects the 2.5-liter turbo hybrid that Genesis already offers in the Korean GV80. Level 3 hands-off, eyes-off highway driving keeps coming up in Korean coverage, but News-WA notes that whether it will be fitted, and how it would work, still needs confirming.
How much should you trust this? The styling is now hard to argue with, since you can see it through the wrap. The December Korean launch comes from Hyundai itself, though we’re relying on a report of the earnings call. Powertrain and driver-assist details are educated guesses from the outlets. US timing is the softest part. Motor1 expects a North American debut next year and sales by the end of 2027, and The Korean Car Blog thinks the US car will most likely be a 2028 model.
Is it coming to the US?
Almost certainly. The G90 is part of Genesis’s US lineup, and the last refresh followed the same route: the updated G90 was unveiled in Seoul in November 2018, then debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show a year later. Expect higher prices too, since the refresh adds hardware. Genesis’s electric GV90 is also on its way. See our Genesis GV90 guide and our list of upcoming US car launches.
Wondering what the refreshed G90 will cost here? See our Genesis G90 facelift price, specs and US release date estimate.
Image credits: Spy photo by SHORTS CAR (@shorts_car), via Motor1. Spy photos by Healer TV (힐러TV), via News-WA. Featured image: current Genesis G90 (RS4) by Alexander Migl / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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