Genesis G70 - a Korean car challenging the German luxury trio.

With its aggressive styling and turbocharged V6 engine, this sedan from Hyundai's luxury brand is a new competitor to the 3 Series, C-Class, and A4.

For a car manufacturer with limited experience in creating sports cars, and lacking expertise in manufacturing luxury vehicles, the task of competing with the 3 Series or C-Class was immense. But when the G70 arrived in the US in early 2018, Genesis – Hyundai's luxury brand – clearly demonstrated its ambition to challenge the Germans' dominance in the compact luxury sedan segment.

The global automotive industry still vividly remembers the shock when the Japanese trio entered the luxury car market three decades ago. But despite gaining an advantage in some segments, Lexus, Acura, and Infiniti were not strong enough to significantly impact BMW's dominance in the compact sedan segment, whether by taking away sales or winning the admiring glances that German cars command from passersby.

The G70 clearly demonstrates the South Korean brand's ambition to directly compete with the powerful German trio.

Hyundai's luxury brand aims to create a sedan that exudes "powerful elegance." Genesis seems to be using the 3 Series as a benchmark for performance, while the C-Class and A4 serve as the benchmarks for interior design in the G70.

"There are many sources for four-door coupe designs," said Luc Donckerwolke, design director for Hyundai and Genesis. "We wanted a three-box design. The most important thing was proportion. We wanted a really long distance from the front axle to the A-pillar."

The front of the car is quite striking with a series of sharp angles, triangles, and trapezoids. The G70's headlights feature four flat, wire-like bulbs as a distinctive design element. The trunk lid incorporates design cues from BMW and Audi. Behind the front fenders are air vents.

Genesis conveys its design message through the materials used in the G70's interior. There are no wood trim details; instead, there is brushed metal or liquid metal.

Other interior touches include leather upholstery with diamond-pattern stitching on the door panels, a non-retractable infotainment screen, and in the rear seats, relatively narrow headroom despite good visibility, according to Motortrend.

The G70 has a longer wheelbase and is 41 mm longer overall than the 3 Series. In fact, the wheelbase and length of the G70 are almost identical to the C-Class.

Under the hood, Genesis offers the G70 with a 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 248 horsepower and 352 Nm of torque. A 3.3-liter V6 engine with 364 horsepower and 508 Nm of torque is an option. Genesis claims the V6 engine allows the G70 to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.7 seconds before reaching a top speed of 269 km/h.

Both engines are paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission; the US market will receive a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with a manual transmission and limited-slip differential.

The four-cylinder version comes with 18-inch Bridgestone tires, while the V6 version features 19-inch Michelin Pilot Sport tires and Brembo four-piston front calipers and two-piston rear calipers. A diesel version is also available in South Korea, while American customers will receive a "dynamic" version of the V6 in 2019. There will be no hybrid version. The vehicle uses all-wheel drive.

The G70 driver can choose between two driving modes: Sport and Normal. "With its smooth handling and luxurious interior, we can compete with the Germans," said Albert Biermann, Hyundai's director of high-performance vehicle development and testing. "In addition, we have impressive styling and promising features."

Based on the pricing and option configurations of the current Genesis G80 and G90 models, the "newcomer" G70 is expected to have generous standard equipment and a diverse list of options. Pricing may be announced closer to the launch date in spring 2018. The price is expected to range from $35,000 for the entry-level model to $50,000 for the top-of-the-line model.

According to VNE