The Genesis GV60 is the luxury brand’s first dedicated electric vehicle. We had the opportunity to test it in September this year and were pleasantly surprised by its performance, stunning interior, and fast-charging technology. For the 2023 model year, it is getting a tech boost on the European market in the form of new biometric features, including the world’s first face recognition technology for keyless entry in a production vehicle.
The so-called Face Connect function gives customers the ability to unlock and access their car using their face thanks to a face recognition sensor with a deep-learning image processing controller. You’ll only have to access the car with its physical key once and set up your profile for face recognition – all future locks, unlocks, and engine starts can be done entirely without the need for a physical key.
For some, this tech probably sounds a little too scary and confusing. However, Genesis says the system is easy to use and there’s a LED indicator on the B-pillar, which visualizes the status of the car and gives confirmation whenever the system is activated. The automaker also ensures no biometric data is ever uploaded and stored remotely outside the car’s HMI.
If this tech sounds familiar to you – that’s probably because a very similar feature is now very popular on smartphones and is used by millions of users around the world on a daily basis. Genesis believes its application into the GV60 is ideal for outdoor activities such as swimming, climbing, and running, during which carrying a physical key is not convenient.
It’s important to note that this tech has been available on the US market for the GV60. The South Korean brand says the electric luxury crossover is now also available for orders in certain markets around Europe, including the United Kingdom where the GV60 is sold in Premium, Sport, and Sport Plus grades. In the United States, the EV crossover is available in two versions – an entry-level GV60 Advance with standard AWD and a 248-mile range and the range-topping GV60 Performance with 429 hp.