Son Heung-min, the South Korean football star playing for Major League Soccer's LA FC, was recently spotted driving a Genesis GV80 Coupe in Los Angeles, drawing significant attention online.
The sighting comes as Genesis rapidly expands its brand recognition in global markets including North America, strengthening its presence as a premium automotive brand.
According to Hyundai Motor, Genesis surpassed 1.5 million cumulative global sales as of November last year, reaching 1,503,069 units within 10 years of the brand's launch. The number of Genesis standalone dealerships in the United States grew to 84 as of February, up from 60 during the same period last year—an increase of approximately 40%. The brand had only 7 independent stores as recently as 2022 but has been adding roughly 20 locations annually as part of its brand separation strategy.
Son was captured on camera greeting fans while driving the GV80 Coupe in LA on the 22nd. The video garnered over 680,000 views on Instagram within three days.
Korean fans responded enthusiastically online. "I thought it was a Bentley," one commenter wrote. Others said, "The GV80 Coupe is really beautiful," and "Our Heung-min uses domestic products and promotes national prestige."
This is not the first time Son has been seen driving the GV80 Coupe since his move to the United States. In November last year, fans photographed him getting into the same vehicle after training at a Los Angeles stadium.
The GV80 Coupe reinterprets the standard GV80 design in a coupe style. Domestic prices start at around 80 million won ($57,000), with top trims exceeding 100 million won ($72,000).
Global sports outlet Surprise Sports reported in November that Son accumulated £57.7 million (approximately 111.2 billion won) during his legendary career at Tottenham Hotspur. His current annual salary is reportedly around 16 billion won ($11.5 million), making him the second-highest paid MLS player after Lionel Messi of Argentina. Some estimates put his net worth at 150 billion won ($108 million).
"It's impressive that someone so wealthy drives a domestic car," some commenters noted.
Son has a history with Hyundai Motor, having received a Veracruz from the company during his time at Hamburger SV in Germany's Bundesliga.
Genesis continues to strengthen its distribution network in the U.S. luxury car market through dealership expansion. Industry observers note it is unusual for a brand only a decade old to establish such presence so quickly in a luxury market that traditionally values heritage and tradition.