Hyundai’s luxury Genesis brand claims it has taken the SUV into new territory by giving its freshly unveiled GV90 SUV a world-first door configuration that adds to the vehicle’s striking looks. 

Called Neolun Arch Gate, the setup has been branded the first independently opening and closing hidden B-pillar arch door. It only comes on the Neolun variant of the SUV, as the standard model comes equipped with swing doors instead. 

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The eye-catching Arch Gate is meant to embody Genesis’s hospitality philosophy, and it works by sliding the rear door slightly outward at first, then rotating it open. The visual effect is striking, especially when viewed from the side with both sets of doors opened.

The brand says it has put safety worries about the lack of a B-pillar to bed by turning to a new structure that seamlessly fixes the doors to the vehicle body. Genesis has also used high-strength dual steel beams for rigidity and says the architecture joining the doors and the body will dissipate forces in the event of a crash.

Eye-catching as it is, the Arch Gate is far from the only headline addition to the GV90. It also gets another claimed world first with a roof airbag, one of 12 airbags throughout the vehicle. If there’s a rollover, it will deploy to cover all the glass in the Vision Roof and prevent anyone inside from being ejected.

The firsts keep coming. The GV90 goes where no Hyundai Motor Group product has gone before by adopting a new power control system that promises to produce “a seamless transition from entry to driving”. When a door handle is pulled, the SUV powers up and the door closes automatically. Drivers press the brake pedal to start the vehicle and there is no start button.

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Energy is stored in a 123.5kWh high-voltage battery, the largest the Hyundai Group has fitted to an EV. Genesis says the seven-seat GV90 has an estimated range of 500km based on the company’s own testing, and claims the battery can take a 10 to 80 per cent charge in 22 minutes using a 350kW fast charger.

A new front and rear motor system breaks Hyundai’s old record for EV power by making a combined 490kW and 800Nm, and the GV90 has a raft of systems to monitor the battery and improve safety, including Thermal Runaway Protection.

The metal-coated heated windshield is also an entirely new feature for the brand, as are the motorised swivelling front seats. There’s no separate instrument cluster. Instead, the GV90 gets a 25-inch HUD to go with a pop-up centre Cinematic OLED display that integrates the cluster, plus navigation and media. Hyundai’s next-gen Pleos Connect platform takes care of the infotainment.

Buyers will also get remote parking assist that works on a single touch, Memory Reversing Assist, a 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen Premier 3D sound system, Ambient Glow mood lighting, premium leather upholstery, seats with 15 individual air cells and an improved massage system.

Luxurious tan leather car interior with a wide touchscreen display, steering wheel, and quilted door panels in a desert setting
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If all that isn’t enough luxury for you, don’t worry. There’s also the GV90 Neolun First Edition variant, which is a limited release “for the marque’s elite customers”. It features 24-inch forged wheels, wool cashmere garnishes in the interior, a two-tone exterior and engraved logos.

The flagship comes in at 5285mm long, 2030mm wide, 1815mm (with 22-inch wheels) and a 3245mm wheelbase, but there’s no confirmation of pricing or availability as yet.