- Genesis is now the official U.S. auto partner of Netflix's The Hawk, the golf comedy premiering July 16, 2026, and starring Will Ferrell and Jimmy Tatro.
- The GV80 Coupe, GV80, and GV70 appear throughout the series, with custom content built around the 2027 Genesis GV80.
- Tatro's character, Lance Hawkins, is fictionally sponsored by Genesis on-screen; Episode 6 centers on the real-world Genesis Invitational tournament.
- The tie-in builds on Genesis's existing golf footprint, including its title sponsorship of the Genesis Invitational and role as the PGA Tour's official mobility partner.
Genesis has been named the official U.S. auto partner of Netflix’s The Hawk, the golf comedy premiering July 16, 2026 and starring Will Ferrell as Lonnie Hawkins, a faded pro chasing a comeback on the PGA Tour.
Under the deal, the Genesis GV80 Coupe, GV80, and GV70 all appear on screen, with custom content built around the 2027 Genesis GV80. The SUV plays a central role for Jimmy Tatro’s character, Lance Hawkins (Lonnie’s son), who is fictionally sponsored by Genesis and finds calm inside the cabin under the banner “Serenity On Wheels.”
“My character in The Hawk, Lance, is sponsored by Genesis, and I genuinely love the GV80,” Tatro said, calling the partnership a natural extension of the show.
Genesis CMO Amy Marentic tied the deal to the brand’s deep golf ties, including its sponsorships of the Genesis Invitational and the Presidents Cup. Netflix’s Magno Herran added that Genesis’s creative team worked directly with Ferrell to shape the integration.
That golf pedigree shows up on screen, too: Episode 6 centers on the real-life Genesis Invitational, complete with branded set pieces and tournament signage, building on Genesis’s role as the PGA Tour’s official mobility partner.
The campaign follows Ferrell’s turn as Lonnie Hawkins in SKIMS’ men’s underwear campaign, which dropped ahead of the premiere as part of the same rollout.
Takeaways
Genesis trading its buttoned-up luxury tone for full-blown sitcom chaos is the real story here. A brand built on “Athletic Elegance” is now letting a fictional man-child golfer’s son call its flagship SUV a sanity refuge, and doing it on purpose.
This is also a smart split: Ferrell gets to be the noise, while Tatro’s character gets to be Genesis’s calm, put-together counterpoint. Pairing that with a dedicated Genesis Invitational episode blurs sponsorship and storyline in a way more auto brands will likely copy.
Does leaning into comedy risk softening Genesis’s premium positioning, or is this exactly how luxury brands reach younger buyers now? Does building an entire episode around the Genesis Invitational cross the line from product placement into something closer to sponsored content?
