Hyundai Motor Co.’s luxury sedan Genesis G80 and Kia Motors Corp.’s hybrid SUV Niro have won the 2018 Residual Value Awards in the U.S. from Automotive Lease Guide (ALG) in their respective segments of premium full-size vehicle and alternative fuel vehicle, South Korea’s top automaker Hyundai Motor said Tuesday.

The Residual Value Awards are given to vehicles that are predicted to hold the highest percentage of their sticker price after a three-year period. ALG recognizes the value based on many indicators including the vehicle’s quality, brand awareness and sales strategy.

The Genesis G80 took the top spot for the first time in the premium full-size segment since the launch of stand-alone Genesis brand, beating Audi A7 that had won the award for the last two consecutive years.

“Along with its balanced performance and handsome design, the Genesis G80 offers a generous list of standard features at a lower price point than that of similarly equipped luxury competitors,” ALG said, adding that “with the addition of the 3.3L twin turbo Sport trim to the 2018 model year, the Genesis continues to garner attention and impress the crowd.”

An official from Genesis said winning the award is another proof point of Genesis’ high value as an upscale model after exceeding sales of 20,000 units in just one year since its launch in the U.S. market. He added that the company will continue to work hard to raise competitiveness of Genesis by releasing mid-sized luxury sedan G70 in the market by the first half of next year.

Hyundai Motor’s sibling company Kia Motors’ compact hybrid SUV Niro also became the first Korean name to earn the award in the alternative fuel segment after beating Toyota Prius that had claimed the top spot over the last five years, according to the company.

By Kim Jung-hwan and Choi Mira

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