are Genesis cars and SUVs safe?
After this Tiger Woods crashed a Genesis GV80 SUV in the Los Angeles area On Tuesday, the safety of Korean automaker Hyundai’s little-known luxury brand was brought into the spotlight, causing devastating leg injuries.
Some people on social media speculates that the safety features of the SUV Perhaps the life of the golf legend savedGiven that authorities said he was traveling at high speed. Others asked if the vehicle should have protected Woods better.
Independent reviews of Genesis vehicles have given them high marks for safety.
“Genesis vehicles, as well as other models from parent company Hyundai Motor Group, have generally performed reasonably well in our safety tests, which include crashworthiness, crash avoidance and headlight ratings,” said Joseph Young, spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. said in an email.
More about the GV80:Golf legend rolls over in the Genesis SUV
Insurance Institute for Road Safety:These are the safest new cars, trucks, and SUVs of 2021
While new vehicles are much safer than vehicles from decades ago, they are not immune to fatal accidents. More than 36,000 people were killed in car accidents on American roads in 2019. according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In addition, small increases in speed can make a collision much more deadly. A crash that is easy to survive at 40 mph can be fatal at 50 mph or more. According to a recent study by IIHS and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
Genesis GV80 moved into the spotlight
That Genesis is even on the line is a surprising twist for a brand that has struggled to prove its relevance since Hyundai spun it off as its own brand a few years ago.
Of course Genesis did was recognized by critics for its design and reliability. The GV80 was one of three finalists for the North American Utility of the Year 2020 award.
But only 6% of luxury car buyers were considering buying a Genesis in the fourth quarter of 2020, compared to 22% for market leader BMW and 19% for Audi, 19% for Lexus and 17% for Mercedes-Benz at Cox Automotive, which owns Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader.
Genesis sales in the United States decreased 23% to 16,384 in 2020. That was 30 out of 31 big brands a year, ahead of just Fiat.
“Your sales are having problems,” said Michelle Krebs, executive analyst at Autotrader. The brand “has a lot to do.”
Sales have been disappointed from the start as the offering consisted entirely of passenger cars until recently, Krebs said. Passenger cars have fallen out of favor in recent years as Americans adopted SUVs and pickups. The GV80 is designed to help turn the tide for the brand.
Genesis was hoping to generate more positive exposure by sponsoring the Genesis Invitational last weekend, a Woods-hosted PGA Tour event. The brand gave event winner Max Homa a GV80 and awarded Woods a GV80 for his personal use. That was the vehicle he crashed in.
Genesis security
Despite its selling battles, Genesis has done well for security reasons.
In its widespread security awards 2021 – announced randomly on Wednesday – IIHS awarded the Genesis G70 and Genesis G90 luxury cars the highest accolade, Top Safety Pick +.
In particular, the two other vehicles of the brand were missing: the G80 and the GV80.
But that’s because both vehicles were too new for IIHS to test them in time for the first 2021 Top Safety Pick announcement. Both were sold in the fall.
“We are currently in the process of testing the GV80. In fact, our last crashworthiness test of the GV80 is on the calendar for today,” said IIHS spokesman Young on Tuesday. “So we will probably be posting results sometime next month.
The security features of the Genesis GV80 include:
• 10 standard airbags, “including a Genesis unique center-side airbag that is deployed between the front seats,” Genesis spokesman Jarred Pellat said in an email.
• Advanced driver assistance systems including forward collision avoidance alarms, evasive steering technology and an indoor camera that notifies the driver when they fall asleep.
• A brand new vehicle architecture known in the industry as a “platform” which consists of a passenger compartment reinforced with “high strength steel for rigidity and safety,” Pellat said.
Starting at nearly $ 50,000, the 2021 Genesis GV80 also features a 14.5-inch horizontal touchscreen on the center console and an 8-inch digital instrument panel.
Some safety critics have accused automakers of distracting drivers Integration of ever larger screens in your vehicles. However, there was no immediate evidence that Woods was distracted when he went off the road on Tuesday.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.
