- Genesis designed four concept cars that were never released to the general public.
- That includes a single-seat sports car, a van and even a pickup truck.
- None of these concepts will make it to production, but they certainly look neat.
Genesis is already ten years old, believe it or not. In that time, the luxury automaker has slowly expanded its lineup to include larger sedans and more luxurious SUVs. But since the beginning, Genesis’ designers have come up with several concepts we’ve never seen before – until now.
In a recent interview with the Italian magazine Auto&DesignGenesis design boss Luc Donckerwolke gave the publication a behind-the-scenes look at some designs that were never approved. According to Auto&DesignDonckerwolke said: “We are constantly experimenting, and these are proposals that were not asked of us, but that we have developed for ourselves, to explore the boundaries of our brand.”
Donckerwolke shared four designs: a single-seat berlinetta, a hydrogen SUV, a track and a van. Let’s take a look at them.
X Gran Berlinetta single-seater
Photo by: Genesis
This is a more extreme version of Genesis’ X Gran Berlinetta concept, the sleek coupe that the automaker introduced in 2023 for the Major tourism video game. Donckerwolke wanted to go even further with the car’s design and “do something selfish to have fun on a track.”
While the X Gran Berlinetta was designed for a video game, Genesis turned the single-seater into a 1-of-1 model. The company has no plans to produce the car.
The X Gran Berlinetta was powered by a hybrid V-6, delivering a combined output of 1,071 horsepower and 986 pound-feet of torque. It also designed the X Gran Racer, which produced 1,540 horsepower.
The pickup
Photo by: Genesis
It’s hard for automakers to ignore the U.S. truck market. They dominate our roads, so Genesis decided to design one themselves. This concept has no name, but it is an electric truck.
Genesis rejected the idea for other projects, with Donckerwolke telling the publication: “Maybe in the future, who knows.” The styling appears to have been influenced by the X Gran Equator, a tough yet sleek off-road SUV.
The design sketches show a truck with folding side steps and a grille that moves to provide access to a front parcel shelf. Considering that Ford killed off the electric F-150 Lightning, the decision to ditch it for other projects makes sense.
JH concept
Photo by: Genesis
Genesis designed the JH Concept as an SUV with a futuristic look. The exterior design is unique with gratuitous cladding around the underside, smooth sheet metal and a prominent grille and rear bumper.
The JH also features a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain, which is still struggling to gain traction. Automakers focused on battery-electric vehicles instead of hydrogen, abandoning the project for Genesis.
It’s an odd design in which Genesis’ signature styling cues don’t fit in very well with the rest of the vehicle. It’s inconvenient.
Jet on wheels
Photo by: Genesis
Genesis designed this van for aerodynamics. It has a sloping windshield, a long roof and a steep tailgate that curves inward. Donckerwolke and his team created the vehicle “because we all know at Genesis that sooner or later we might make a van. Luxury vans are huge in Asia, including China.”
It looks a bit like the Hyundai Ioniq 9, with its long roof and truncated rear, but is still slimmer. The back gives it a jet-like appearance.
Donckerwolke called this “the perfect example of the work we do behind the scenes, in our kitchen.” We imagine there are many more sketches that we will never see, and that is a tragedy.
Taking Motor1s: Designers are always creating something new, and this behind-the-scenes look shows us how much work goes into things the public never sees. These are cool cars, but there are good reasons why these have remained concepts.
#Genesis #concepts