Genesis
- The interior of the Genesis GV80 helped cushion Tiger Woods during the crash, according to the LA County Sheriff.
- Genesis is the sponsor of the PGA Tour tournament Woods was hosting last week.
- Car and Driver gave the vehicle a rating of 10/10.
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
Tiger Woods remains hospitalized in Los Angeles with injuries he sustained in a rollover car crash this week, an accident the LA County Sheriff’s Office said could have been worse if the golfer hadn’t been cushioned by his SUV’s interior.
Woods was driving a Genesis GV80, the brand’s first SUV. Genesis is a luxury brand sold by Korean automaker Hyundai.
During Tuesday’s crash, the vehicle’s front end and and bumpers were destroyed, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said during a press conference. But the interior of the car was not severely damaged, helping Woods survive, Villanueva said.
“The interior of the vehicle was more or less intact which kind of gave him the cushion to survive what otherwise would’ve been a fatal crash,” Villanueva said.
Genesis is the sponsor of the Genesis Invitational, a PGA Tour tournament that Woods was hosting at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
The company didn't respond to Insider's request for comment. But, Genesis Motor North America CEO Mark Del Rosso said in a statement Tuesday he was "heartbroken to hear that Tiger was in an accident this morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."
Some of the GV80's safety features include an omnidirectional anti-collision technology that analyzes driving conditions as they occur, according to the Genesis GV80 website.
Additionally, a 10-Airbag System is installed that includes "a center airbag between the two front seats, to help prevent collisions between passengers and subsequent impact injuries," it said.
The GV80 is also equipped with a blind-spot collision avoidance technology that evasively steers the car to safety to avoid a collision in case the drive is changing lanes or when another vehicle is changing lanes and is approaching towards the car's rear, the company said on its website.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hasn't released crash-test results or overall safety ratings for the GV80. While the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said on Wednesday on Twitter that the GV80 is currently being tested and results should be announced next month.
—IIHS (@IIHS_autosafety) February 24, 2021
The vehicle has a starting price of $48,500 for entry level models. The premier 3.5T Prestige model is priced at over $70,000.
The 2021 GV80 received strong reviews from Car and Driver, with a 10/10 rating. "With a sumptuously appointed and whisper-quiet cabin, the 2021 GV80 is exactly the flagship SUV the Genesis brand needs to be taken seriously by American consumers," the magazine wrote.
The GV80 is the fourth Genesis model after Hyundai decided to separate the luxury Genesis models from its high-end car models.