Hyundai Motor Group has been pulling out all the stops in the design department lately, dazzling drivers with new looks like the Hyundai Staria MPV and Prophecy concept. The luxury brand of the group has taken the next step, debuting the impossibly long, sleek Genesis X Concept. What it lacks in naming creativity, the electric GT makes up for in style, putting the driver inside a leather cocoon behind the windshield of a long-legged athlete that puts a little extra grand in grand touring.
Looking at the profile of the X Concept, it appears like Genesis designers might have started off with a G80, dropped the rear doors and slowly pulled the front and rear ends out to make it both longer and leaner. We like the overall direction they've taken, but the X seems just a little too long, especially for an electric vehicle that really doesn't need all that hood. It has the stance and muscular fenders to successfully achieve the always-coveted "big cat waiting to pounce" look, but it's so long it ends up looking more like a cat lazily doing a full-body morning stretch.
That's not to say we wouldn't park it proudly in the driveway; we just think it would look (and perform) better if Genesis shortened it up a little. But clearly the brand wanted something more dramatic, a counterpoint to the stretched cabins and short overhangs of recent production electrics like the Hyundiai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.
Genesis embellishes the look of the X Concept with a "Two Lines" theme that makes itself known immediately via the bright headlamp strips that wrap around the corners and leap over the wheel arches, continuing right to the doors. The theme is mirrored out back in red, with wraparound taillamps.
Above the headlamps, the long hood gains extra mass with a clamshell design that incorporates both fenders for a more seamless look. Between them, the X wears a lighter, sleeker version of Genesis' crest grille, filled in by a painted G-Matrix mesh. Layered air vents in the bumper chisel out further facial character.
"The Genesis X Concept can be described as the ultimate vision of Athletic Elegance, the inherent design language of Genesis," explains Genesis global design chief SangYup Lee. "The signature Two Lines theme and sustainable luxury will be blueprints for the futuristic designs and state-of-the-art technologies that Genesis seeks to adopt in its future models."
The X Concept's green-hued "Lençóis Blue" paint takes inspiration from the blue lagoons of Brazil's Maranhenses National Park and works to symbolize the green sustainability Genesis is pursuing with electric design. The much brighter lime green of the brake calipers peeking out from the turbine-style alloy wheels, meanwhile, signifies the concept's high-performance intentions.
The interior is just as dramatic as the exterior thanks to a leather cocoon that delineates the drive position from the rest of the car. This wraparound barrier features its own distinct scotch brown color and encompasses all the controls, including the central touch screen and handhold that angle toward the driver.
The remainder of the cabin is clean and simple, defined by a strategy Genesis calls the "beauty of white space." The three passenger bucket seats are colored in "ocean wave green" and surrounded by "two lines" styling that shows up in the air vents and side window moldings. Upcycled leather made from leftover manufacturing scraps covers the seat belts, airbag cover and parts of the steering wheel, further highlighting sustainability.
Genesis does not provide any powertrain details, outside of labeling the X an EV.
The Genesis X made its official world premiere this week after first appearing at a private Los Angeles rooftop reveal on Friday. It follows the New York, the GV80 concept, the Essentia and the Mint to become Genesis' fifth concept car.
Source: Genesis