A Korean automaker is about to park a full-size luxury SUV right on Rolls-Royce’s front lawn. The latest spy shots of the Genesis GV90 suggest the wait is almost over, and what’s coming looks nothing like a compromise.
Fresh prototype images reveal a machine that has kept its wildest concept details intact, from enormous 24-inch wheels to rear-hinged coach doors. Deep green paint on the body and tan leather inside signal this is no early mule. This is a vehicle weeks or months from its official debut.
At a glance
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Segment | Full-size luxury SUV |
| Wheel size | 24 inches, concept-carried design |
| Signature feature | Rear-opening coach doors |
| Primary rival | Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 |
| Aspirational target | Rolls-Royce Cullinan |
| Expected reveal | 2026 |
| Surprise detail | Green contrast piping on tan interior |
Those 24-inch wheels survived and that changes everything
Concept cars almost always lose their dramatic wheels on the way to the showroom floor. Designers dream big, then engineers swap in something sensible for production tolerances and cost targets. Genesis apparently skipped that meeting. The GV90 prototype is rolling on the same 24-inch units the concept wore 2 years ago, with an off-kilter center element that resembles an oil pump impeller spinning inside a larger housing.
I have to imagine these look absolutely wild in motion. When the wheel is frozen by a camera shutter, the asymmetric pattern creates a visual unlike anything else on the road. Pair this with the sawblade-style rims spotted on other GV90 test cars and the intricate lace wheels Genesis already sells on production models, and a pattern emerges. This brand treats wheel design as a signature, not an afterthought. For a flagship that needs to justify a price tag competing with six-figure German and British SUVs, that kind of obsessive detail matters.
Rolls-Royce charges over $350,000 for coach doors, think about that
The Cullinan is the only other SUV on the market with rear-hinged coach doors, and it starts north of $350,000. Genesis is about to offer the same theatrical entry experience at a fraction of that cost. Spy photographers caught the GV90 with its door open, revealing the latches for those rear-opening panels. Early reports suggested Genesis struggled with the engineering, and there were whispers of delays. Those problems appear to be solved.
The camouflage on this prototype is clever. Cut-outs exist for both conventional and coach-style door handles, making it hard to confirm which setup this specific car uses. But the combination of 24-inch concept wheels and deep green paint tells me this is a top-spec variant, and that means coach doors. Genesis is not building a Cullinan clone. It is building something that makes the Cullinan’s exclusivity feel overpriced.
What Genesis is not saying about the interior
Previous spy shots of GV90 concepts revealed a cabin that seemed to match Maybach levels of material quality and design ambition. This latest prototype adds a new wrinkle. Through the wrap, photographers spotted tan seats with contrast piping that appears to be green, matching the exterior paint. That kind of color coordination is a small detail that separates true luxury from vehicles that merely cost a lot of money.
Genesis has not released official interior images, but the pieces we can see through the camouflage tell a story. The brand is building a cabin that does not just compete with the Mercedes-Maybach GLS on spec sheets. It competes on atmosphere. The two-line lighting signature visible at the head and taillights carries the brand’s design language forward, while a new Neolun grille detail, where the front lights curve downward, gives the GV90 a face distinct from every other Genesis in the lineup.
The one catch nobody is talking about
Genesis still has not announced pricing, powertrain options, or an official reveal date. The brand has confirmed a 2026 timeline, and the production-ready state of this prototype suggests the unveiling could arrive within months. But the real question is whether Genesis can build enough of these to matter. Coach doors, 24-inch concept wheels, and a bespoke interior all require manufacturing precision that is expensive to scale.
The deep green paint on this prototype is itself a signal. Automakers typically test early prototypes in black, grey, or white to save money. Color testing means the paint shop is being validated, which is one of the final steps before production begins. Everything about this car says Genesis is done experimenting and ready to commit. The only unknown is whether buyers in this segment will commit back, or whether brand perception still holds the Korean marque at arm’s length from the ultra-luxury conversation.
How it stacks up
| Model | Est. starting price | Coach doors | Wheel size | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis GV90 | ~$85,000 (est.) | Yes | 24 inches | Value + design drama |
| Rolls-Royce Cullinan | $355,000+ | Yes | 22-23 inches | Brand prestige |
| Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 | $175,000+ | No | 22-23 inches | Powertrain refinement |
| BMW XM | $109,900 | No | 21-23 inches | Performance hybrid |
Why this matters
- Genesis enters the ultra-luxury SUV segment with concept-level design intact.
- Coach doors are no longer a Rolls-Royce exclusive feature.
- Korean automakers now compete at every price tier in the market.
The verdict
The GV90 is the most ambitious vehicle Genesis has ever attempted, and the spy shots suggest the brand is not pulling any punches. Keeping 24-inch concept wheels and coach doors on a production vehicle is a statement that Genesis wants to be taken seriously at the top of the luxury market. If the pricing lands anywhere near the estimated range, Mercedes-Maybach and BMW have a serious problem on their hands. The full reveal cannot come soon enough, and when it does, I expect it to reset expectations for what a sub-$100,000 luxury SUV can deliver. Keep this one on your radar, because the GV90 is shaping up to be the most compelling luxury SUV launch of 2026.
