Contrary to previous claims, Hyundai’s new N performance division won’t be tuning models from Genesis anytime soon.

That’s the word of Genesis boss Manfred Fitzgerald.

“I don’t think so right now,” he told Motoring when quizzed about an N-tuned Genesis at this week's launch in Korea of the G70 sport sedan.

Fitzgerald, a former Lamborghini executive, went on to explain his reasoning. Basically, he sees electrification equalizing performance among brands, thus making factors such as acceleration and speed less of a differentiator in the future.

“Performance will not be on the same forefront of differentiator as it is today for ICEs [internal combustion engines],” he said. “Everybody is capable of doing an electric motor and putting it in a car, so the performance values will almost be the same.”

Manfred Fitzgerald

Manfred Fitzgerald

You only need to look at the countless videos of Tesla Model S sedans putting supercars to shame at the drag strip to understand Fitzgerald’s thinking.

Of course, high-performance cars aren’t only about acceleration. Fitzgerald is aware of this but sees the market shifting, with environmental concerns and technology taking precedence over performance.

“I’m just looking forward to the future and I just don’t believe that [performance] will still have the same power and same meaning as it did [in the past],” he said.

Fitzgerald said that Genesis’ future lies in electrified cars. He said Genesis is working on two dedicated platforms from which various electrified models, including electric cars, can be spawned. These new models are expected to start appearing after 2021 or ’22.

The good news for enthusiasts is that the performance of electric cars in particular will only improve with time. Fitzgerald said battery weight is what’s holding back electric cars as the performance cars of the future and that engineers at Hyundai are seeking ways to eliminate the issue.