The 1,110 hp Genesis

Genesis has been making a huge push in the road car space lately, so the company decided it was time to turn its attention to the sand, and the results seem quite extraordinary. Specifically, Genesis went to the Rub’ al Khali, also known as the “Empty Quarter.” Covering an area of ​​250,000 square kilometers, it is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world, covering parts of the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Oman. In short, it’s a huge sandbox and the recent home of the Dakar Rally. It is also the inspiration behind the X Skorpio Concept.

In many ways, it looks like Genesis built its own Local Motors Rally Fighter, given the Skorpio’s fat off-road tires, coupe-like proportions and big V8 engine. That’s right: a V8 engine. Sure, most concept cars these days are electric cars, but not the X Skorpio. Instead, it has a V8 that makes 1,100 horsepower and 850 pound-feet of torque. Beyond these numbers, details are hard to come by, but these numbers speak for themselves. (If we had to guess, it’s a modified version of the V8 in Genesis’ Le Mans race car, and the X Gran Berlinetta concept.) This rig is serious, and it’s actually real: Genesis has built a fully working example, complete with said V8.

To match the undoubtedly big V8, Genesis gave the X Skorpio a set of 18-inch beadlock wheels riding on custom 40-inch tires. Inside lies the Brembo Motorsport brakes, and behind it all is a specially tuned and raised suspension that will surely make the big off-road coupe a hero when it takes some sick jumps.

While the X Skorpio is undoubtedly a very hardcore vehicle, Genesis is still a luxury car company, so it wanted to make the interior a nice place to be. Although it doesn’t have a G90 in it, it’s still damn fun if you ask me, combining real luxury with sand dune-crushing practicality. You can barely tell that the car has a full roll cage inside. There’s plenty of leather on the dash, but you’ll also notice the large navigation screen mounted in front of the passenger seat. At that point, consider them more as a co-driver. You also both sit in some very snappy bucket seats, and I have a sneaking suspicion that there is no massage function.

Genesis

The Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel is also much racier than anything we’ve come to expect from Genesis, with a racing-style digital instrument cluster and a number of buttons within easy reach. Towards the center are a slew of switches for the rest of the car’s controls, flanked by a pair of Alcantara handles. These will be incredibly necessary if you are catching air. Below that is a kind of dial that controls, well, who knows? But it looks sick.

On the outside, the car is made from a combination of carbon fiber, Kevlar and fiberglass to keep the weight down. The lightweight body panels are kept as close as possible to the X Skorpio’s tubular frame and feature high-clearance fenders that are sure to help with approach, departure and breakover angles. It also comes with a roof-mounted air intake that serves a number of purposes. First, it helps the car get clean air. Two: it looks cool. Third, it’s a visual nod to a scorpion’s sting. Pretty sweet, if I say so myself.

I’ll eat my entire left leg if Genesis ever puts the X Skorpio into production (I need the right to use the accelerator), but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. While this car won’t make it past the concept stage, it will almost certainly be an inspiration for things to come, according to Genesis Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke.

“We create concept cars to inspire and ignite authentic passion for our vision. They are designed to deepen the emotional connection with our customers by demonstrating the ultimate desirability they have always dreamed of,” Donckerwolke said in a statement. “At Genesis, we create cars that inspire emotional expansion, showcasing not only our design philosophy but also the future technologies that personalize and elevate lifestyles.”

Genesis

He went on to say that each Genesis concept is a “signal of what is possible” and a glimpse into the “DNA of the future of Genesis.” To me, that certainly sounds like there might be some more off-road focused Genesis vehicles in the pipeline and that certainly makes sense considering how popular those cars are on the market. In fact, it has launched a few new concepts: the GV60 Outdoors Concept (which has crazy treads!), GV70 Outdoors Concept and GV80 Desert Edition at the same time, so Genesis is definitely cooking something.

But for now, we’ll just have to enjoy how sick the X Skorpio is and cross our fingers that someone at Genesis gets really cool real soon.