An all-electric grand touring coupe concept made by Hyundai’s luxury car brand Genesis has earned itself the prestigious “Concept of the Year” award from esteemed automotive magazine Automobile.
The Genesis Essentia, which made its world debut at the 2018 New York Auto Show, with its sleek, low-line carbon fibre monocoque exudes a certain Batmobile likeness.
The elegant, aerodynamic design of the high-performance all-electric concept has birthed the brand’s mantra of “Everything else just became tranportation” – and it is exactly this expression of Genesis’ “athletic elegance design language” that has captured the attention of Automobile judges.
With fineline, laser optic headlights that extend to the side of the car and are repeated in red for the rear lights, butterfly doors and sweeping roofline, it is easy to see why.
The Essentia’s importance is not that it’s a superb experimental vehicle from a relatively young Korean company but that it’s a human triumph, embodying the ideas from everyone chosen to join the effort,” said Robert Cumberford, Automobile‘s auto design editor.
Inside, the Essentia interior design does not disappoint either. Seated, the driver is cocooned in chevron leather seats, surrounded by a layered carbon fiber dashboard and console, replete with widescreen display.
Information on actual specifications are of course thin on the ground, but Genesis does say the Essentia features a “high density battery pack” and acceleration from 0-60mph (97km/hr) in a sprint of 3 seconds.
Genesis boss Mandfred Fitzgerald said of the Essentia at the New York Auto Show that, “We understand our obligation as a luxury car manufacturer to create objects of desire, sparking passion and inspiration by emphasizing a culture while exceeding expectations in terms of technology and connectivity, bringing our outside world seamlessly to the inside of the vehicle.
“This is what the Genesis Essentia Concept is all about.”
If you want to see it in action, check out this poetic execution from Hyundai USA released in March 2018:
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.