Does Genesis have an advantage over Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz? Australian market models will retain full specs despite chip shortages

The Genesis GV80 will retain all of its features in Australia.

Due to a worldwide shortage of semiconductor chips, more manufacturers have been forced to remove features from certain models to avoid further disruption to production and supply.

This means that some new models come without technical features built into the car, such as digital instrument clusters or, in some cases, safety gear.

The American outpost of Genesis Motors, Hyundai Group's premium brand, has been forced to retire some features from its active safety suite in the G80 sedan and GV70 and GV80 SUVs.

Genesis has made this decision to avoid production delays and to ensure that customers receive their vehicles earlier.

The brand has removed Highway Driving Assist II (HDA), which is a group of driving assistance features that is standard on the G80 and GV80 and optional on the GV70.

Instead, they will feature the original Highway Driving Assist, which still includes features such as adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist and lane centering, but without the HDA II machine learning component.

This system can adapt the adaptive cruise control to the driver's tendencies as well as the response time when vehicles cut in front of the car. It also adds functionality for steering evasion assist, lane change assist, lane following assist, and more.

The Genesis G80 sedan is one of the models hit by the U.S. chip crisis.

Genesis cuts prices on models by $200 in the US to make up for the reduced specification.

However, a spokesperson for Genesis Motors Australia confirmed this. Cars Guide that he will not remove any features from his Down Under models

Some of its European competitors in Australia have been forced to drop some features in the past 12 months.

Last year, BMW Australia announced that some variants of the 2 Series, 3 Series, 4 Series Passenger Cars, X5, X6 and X7 SUVs, and the Z4 Sports Car will be sold without touchscreen infotainment features. All controls could only be accessed via the iDrive controller or via the "Hey BMW" voice feature.

Mercedes-Benz confirmed earlier last year that some variants of the A-Class, B-Class, CLA, GLA and GLB will have to do without advanced Pre-Safe safety technology.

Some Audi models were sold without the wireless charging pad, electrically adjustable steering column and tire pressure monitoring system.

Some of these omissions have since returned to these models, so it's best to check with the dealer if you're looking to buy.

Incidentally, a Genesis spokesperson added that there will be no omissions in any of the Hyundai models due to a shortage of chips.