Breaking into the luxury segment is no easy feat, but so far, so good for Genesis Motors. Establishing itself as a separate standalone brand from Hyundai in 2015, Genesis currently offers customers a duo of premium four-doors, including the G80 and G90, with a third sedan, the G70, slated to arrive soon. And while all three are certainly noteworthy in their own way, we’re far more excited by what Genesis just dropped at the 2018 New York International Auto Show. It’s called the Essentia concept, and it proves that Genesis has what it takes to hang with the big boys.

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The Full Story

The first thing about the Essentia concept to grab our attention is the way it looks. Simply put, this is one gorgeous looking piece of design. Sitting low and wide, the proportions are classic grand touring stuff, with the cab placed towards the tail and the hood line extending out for days. One of the coolest bits has to be the large glass section in front, which shows off the carbon frame and pushrod suspension underneath, mating form with function in a single slick feature that’s utterly unique in the segment.

The roof gets a kind of “double bubble” at the peak, then falls back into the rear end at a graceful angle, terminating in an upturned flick of a tail. The rest of the lines are smooth and voluptuous, with aggressive aero bits front to back that are smoothed into the body with an impressive elegance. The wheels fill the large fenders with an intricate mech, punctuating the polished metal with copper bits that stand out against the grey paint. Further complimentary copper bits are found along the body. The lights are also flush with the body, keeping the streamlined look intact.

The good stuff continues inside, where Genesis once again took an elegant and streamlined approach, eschewing the traditional hard buttons and switches in favor of screens and a flush “jewel” pad in the center console. Despite the simple design, the materials used help to add extra flavor and texture, including a 3D printed inner rib structure, quilted leather upholstery, and a carbon dash section.

Of course, being a modern luxury concept, the Essentia also comes with tons of tech to run with the competition. That means a high-powered all-electric powertrain that’ll push the coupe to 60 mph in about 3 seconds flat, making this GT machine one the quickest things out there. Throw in modern convenience features and forward-thinking tech bits like vehicle-to-infrastructure and vehicle-to-vehicle communications equipment, and it’s clear Genesis is swinging for the fences on this one.

We think the design is definitely more than enough to challenge the likes of Audi, Mercedes, BMW, and Cadillac. Of course, we’ll have to see how much of it makes it past the bean counters and hits the production line, but the fact the company has the chops to put this thing out there in concept form is more than enough to get our attention.

All told, we can’t wait to see what Genesis decides to do with it. Take that aesthetic, give it a decent wallop from the skinny pedal on the right, and count us as happy.

References

The Genesis Essentia Concept Is The Outrageously Gorgeous EV Concept We Need

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