Another fun presentation about AWD and Winter Driving today, from @GenesisMotorsCA for the @AJACanada #ajacwinterrally Lets see what they have to say:

It's a good day for a talk about winter, considering all the snow we just got!

They say that their products are built with winter in mind, and in Canada, they're packaged very specifically for our market. They know our winters are particularly harsh, compared to some others in North America.

I'm sure all G80s and GV80s are equipped with AWD as standard equipment these days. But in addition to that, many vehicles pack many features that are perfect for dealing with harsh cold winters - heated seats, steering wheels, window defrosts, etc.

The AWD system in Genesis vehicles are rear-wheel based, but can send up to 50 percent of the available torque to the front axle.

When it comes to the heated seats, you can adjust which part of the seat you can warm up - the seatback, or the bottom cushion, and you can split it either way you want to in these new @GenesisMotorsCA models.

The heated elements can also turn on and off automatically, to ensure you don't get too uncomfortable with a blitz of heat coming on.

In the rear of the GV80, the centre seat even gets warmed up. Nice to know!

You can also use the connected companion app to pre heat the vehicle, and its seats before you get in. This is complementary and included in your purchase of the vehicle, for a few years.

In the GV80 in Canada, there's a terrain select mode, which adjusts various settings, including transmission shift logic, engine throttle response, and stability control to ensure better confidence in different conditions.

The new vehicles also feature a limited slip differential, to send available power to one wheel on a given side to help you get out of a sticky, or slippery situation.

One of my favourite topics to talk about is winter weather testing and vehicle development. A member of @GenesisMotorsCA QA team jumps on board to talk about how they cold weather test the vehicles.

They use a climate chamber to get started with their cold weather testing. Then go into real world conditions.

These tests are conducted in Northern Quebec and the Canadian Praries, so car spies in these regions should keep an eye out for these pre-production rides.

Then again, the testing usually starts when the mercury reads -30 degrees C. Oof, I just shivered thinking about that.

They look into how long it takes to warm up the cabin, clear the windshield and windows, how the heated seats and steering wheels function, and how the traction control systems function in these conditions. Then that info goes back to Genesis HQ for fine tuning.

Question time! First Q is from @DanTheWheelMan who wonders if Canada is the go-to location for cold weather for the company.
A: They do cold weather tests all over the world as well. Including North China and other locations.

They also look into how winter is handled by Canadians, dealing with the snow and salt and slush and other stuff that may be specific to our market.

Next Question is about the technical details of the AWD system of the Genesis G80 and GV80. @99forever asks:
Is it a full time AWD system, or is it a part time system?
A: Most of the power is sent to the rear. When the conditions get a bit challenging it sends power up front.

100 percent power goes to the rear when everything is dry and simple.
Thanks to the limited slip differential - it can send 100 perent of the power to the rear left or right wheels.

Next Q is from @JeffWilson75 - while the vehicles have LED lighting, are there standard headlight washers?
A - No, not yet.

This is important, because LEDs are cool, and won't melt snow or ice built up on the lights. They're looking into this solution.
From the QA team, they test this in -30C, but no clear indication about if it helps melt this typical build up.

Next Question: Why don't the Americans @GenesisMotorsCA have the same Terrain mode as the Canadian models do?
A - The volume of vehicles in markets like California, there isn't a huge demand for AWD, and snow modes like is expected here in Canada

Its interesting that US buyers can get Terrain mode on their models, but not the Snow setting.

Next question - is the cold weather testing done with Hyundai and Kia as well?
No - they keep to Genesis. They also benchmark competitors at this time.

They are proud to announce that they haven't stuffed a Genesis in the snow banks or ditches during their cold weather testing.

Next question is about the heated seats: do they turn off or down after a while?
A - they'll go down to 1/3 and not go all the way off.
Q - Is having hours of heated seats healthy?
A - That may be a personal situation.

Next question - are the AWD systems in the G80 and GV80 the same?
A - Yes the mechanical details are the same. But there are tuning differences, how fast the torque gets sent to the front axle, for example, and how they respond to different conditions.

Additionally, the upcoming GV70 will feature the same platform+powertrain.

One concern about the Terrain settings in the USA is that it's a patent issue, that isn't present in Canada.

The @GenesisMotorsCA also clarifies that anywhere there is a heated seat in the car, you can adjust the distribution of the heat between the seatback and cushion.

Clarifying which AWD systems in the two cars again - the G80 is faster at distrubuting torque to the front axle than the GV80. It's a sport sedan, so that engagement is part of the dynamics.

A question pops up about winter driving programs with @GenesisUSA
A - This is something they're considering, as they increase availability and customer base. They're pretty young right now (just 4 years young!) so they're still getting their feet set.

A question pops up about the tires used during cold weather testing. Do they use both winter and all-season tires?
A - No, just winter tires during that test.
Q - Do you test different brands/treads at that time?
A - No, that decision is made before testing

Next question - what are the differences between the AWD system in Genesis models, and Hyundai models?
A - It seems like the AWD system in Hyundai vehicles, doesn't send torque to one wheel in the same way the Genesis does. Differences in platform and powertrains here too

All done! Thank you @GenesisMotorsCA for that excellent presentation with @AJACanada. Early tomorrow we'll have a simiar chat with @lexuscanada so be sure the check back in.