Genesis Yanks Highway Driving Assist II Suite from G80 and GV80

• Genesis quietly pulled its most advanced safety suite from G80 and GV80.
• Downgrade leaves those models without automatic lane changing and more.
• Done in an effort to avoid production delays as microchip shortage continues.

Luxury automaker Genesis has quietly downgraded the safety systems in its G80 sedan and GV70 and GV80 SUVs, an unusual move in the luxury space where competitors rely on flashy features to gain an edge.

The decision comes as the COVID-19 pandemic and related supply chain issues have caused a shortage of the microchips that vehicles rely on to power such systems. Genesis is making the change in order to better ensure that customers receive their vehicles in a timely manner, according to a Genesis spokesperson.

What does it mean?

Genesis launched the first GV80 SUV and a new generation of the G80 midsize sedan for the 2021 model year. The brand included Highway Driving Assist II, or HDA II, as standard equipment as a selling point in both models.

But now both models will instead feature the lower-level Highway Driving Assist, or HDA, system. HDA comes with adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist and automatic lane centering. However, it does not include several features that compose the HDA II system, including machine learning to adapt the adaptive cruise control to a driver's natural tendencies or automatic lane changing, which guides the vehicle into the next lane when the turn signal is used.

What caused the problem?

Genesis insists that the move is designed to put customers first. Waiting for the microchips needed to run HDA II would slow down the vehicle production process, causing delays in delivery.

Instead the brand opted to "temporarily suspend inclusion of certain feature enhancements," which allows production to continue at a more normal level, according to the spokesperson.

The change is limited to the G80 and GV80 for right now. The GV70 has HDA as standard and will lose HDA II from the list of optional features for the GV70 2.5T AWD with the Sport Prestige package and 3.5T models. It's worth noting that HDA II is also available on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 electric vehicles. It is not yet known whether these features will be temporarily removed from these vehicles.

What these features do

G80, GV80 and GV70 models that were previously equipped with HDA II will come with the more basic HDA suite. The features that differentiate HDA II from HDA are as follows:

• Smart Cruise Control enhancements:
• Machine learning: Uses artificial intelligence to recognize driver tendencies on the road and adapt the adaptive cruise control to those habits.
• Cut-in response: Responds more quickly to vehicles cutting into your lane while Smart Cruise Control is active.
• Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist enhancements:
• Junction Crossing: Applies the brakes if a collision is likely to occur between you and a vehicle crossing your forward path.
• Lane-Change Oncoming and Side: Can steer the vehicle back into its lane when drifting over a lane into oncoming traffic, or when changing into a lane with a vehicle ahead that is moving too slowly.
• Evasive Steering Assist: Reduces the amount of steering input required to avoid a collision with an object ahead of you.
• Lane Change Assist: Uses sensors to read traffic and automatically change lanes on the highway when the driver indicates using the turn signal.
• Lane Following Assist with Offset Driving

The G80 and GV80 are priced to undercut rival models from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The starting price of a 2022 G80 is $49,345 including destination, while the 2022 GV80 starts from $51,295. Genesis GV70, GV80 and G80 models affected by the exclusion of HDA II will be notated with the PX package on the Monroney window sticker, which carries a $200 discount. 

"We look forward to bringing these enhancements back to the Genesis lineup as soon as possible," the Genesis spokesperson said.

Edmunds says

The downgrade from HDA II to standard HDA doesn't significantly change the semi-automated capabilities of new Genesis models — we still rate these systems highly. However, it's a loss for buyers that the G80 and GV80 can no longer count HDA II as standard equipment.