Genesis G70

There may not be a second generation of the Kia Stinger, a report from Korean Car Blog has claimed. It is the second time in less than 12 months the long term future of the turbocharged sports sedan has been questioned. Last year CarAdvice reported Kia was undecided on whether it would build a successor to the current Stinger. The Kia Stinger is a popular choice in Australia among former owners of Holden Commodore V8 and Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo sedans, and has sold well locally.

Genesis Motors Australia has finally launched its first standalone ‘flagship studio’ in Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall, coinciding with the Korean marque’s launch Down Under. The brand’s global boss, Manfred Fitzgerald (above), flew out to cut the ribbon as Genesis opened the doors to its first dealership, with Melbourne and Brisbane sites to open in 2020.

The model line-up for the upcoming 2019 Genesis G70 appears to have been confirmed this week, with six variants of the new sports sedan set to lob when it launches next year. How do we know? A list of variants was published in this week's latest ANCAP safety test results – where the G70 was awarded a five-star rating. Like the related Kia Stinger, the G70 will offer both four- and six-cylinder turbocharged petrol engines, and be exclusively rear-wheel drive in Australia.

Hyundai's N division is plotting two more models after the i30 Fastback N (above) – set to debut at the Paris motor show – but a more focused version of the Genesis G70 luxury sedan won't be among them. Speaking with industry journal Automotive News, Hyundai's head of vehicle testing and high-performance development, Albert Biermann, said a fourth N model is definitely in the plan, with an additional "surprise" potentially in the pipeline.