Genesis Just Beat the Germans in One Small But Important Way

As Genesis continues to pick up momentum, it has overtaken one of the German Big Three in at least one segment.

Every January, there are a few surprises buried within the previous year's automotive sales figures. Sometimes they're zombie cars. Other times, we see an established leader slip, and a newcomer steps in to take their place. Korean brand Genesis did just that in 2025, overtaking Audi in a small category that nonetheless signifies an important shift in the luxury landscape.

Across 2025, Genesis shipped 1,605 examples of its full-size G90 sedan. The big four-door has been bucking the sedan trend, posting incremental increases since this generation launched in 2022. We recently spent some time in an updated model, too—stay tuned for our review soon.

Over at Audi, the A8 sold just 1,406 units across the year. You'd be forgiven for forgetting the fourth-generation A8 was still even a thing; the big, comfy sedan has been on the market since 2019, and last saw an update in 2022. Even Audi's own US press site doesn't have any pictures beyond that year.

Mercedes elected not to share model-specific sales figures this year, though we feel comfortable guessing the S-Class sold comfortably more than either of these sedans. (S-Class sales were 8,809 units in the US in 2024.) Since it got its monolithic current look, the BMW 7 Series has been dominating the full-size segment, finding 11,393 buyers in 2025.

Is this a tiny fraction of the luxury segment, which is itself a tiny fraction of the whole market? Sure. But these are also flagship models, and it shows that buyers in this choosy class are accepting Genesis as a serious competitor. With the luxury side sorted, now Genesis can start taking the fight to the M, AMG, and RS on the track.

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