Genesis is on a roll these days, introducing the new 2021 G80 and its high-riding counterpart, the GV80 SUV but the Korean upmarket brand's plans for the future seem poised to include some rather sportier models.

It's been half a decade since Genesis trademarked a bevy of nameplates that led us to think that a two-door coupe is in the making and while we're still waiting for a formal confirmation on the subject, we're heating our collective appetite by looking at this gorgeous coupe that KKS Studio came up with based around Genesis' latest design language.

Write our names on the long list of Genesis GT fans

Hyundai's luxury brand is going from strength to strength and its new, brazen design language is one of the most recognizable in the industry today.

Many, us included, were critical of Genesis when it arrived on the market offering only a raft of sedans and no crossovers. The company took notice of the dissonance and, soon enough, SUVs began to emerge with the Genesis coat of arms on the hood and tailgates and, now, we're looking forward to the next step: a Genesis sports car.

You may remember that the first time the 'Genesis' name came into prominence it was on the back of a sporty Hyundai and a BMW-battling sedan also under the Hyundai umbrella. The coupe was available with one of two engines, the most powerful of the lot being the 3.8-liter naturally aspirated V-6 good for 348 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. At the time of its introduction, the Genesis V6 3.8 was more powerful by quite a margin than the comparable BMW 435i while also being cheaper than the Bavarian coupe.

Hyundai Genesis Coupe specifications

Type

3.8L DOHC GDI V6 Dual CVVT (Dual Continuously Variable Valve Timing)

Bore & Stroke

96 mm x 87 mm

Displacement

3.8 liters

Horsepower

348 @ 6,400 rpm (premium)344 @ 6,400 rpm (regular)

Torque

295 lb-ft @ 5,100 rpm (premium)292 lb-ft @ 5,100 rpm (regular)

Compression Ratio

11.5:1

Top Speed

149 mph, fuel cut


When Hyundai announced the introduction of the Genesis brand in 2015, a number of nameplates were trademarked including the GV names (GV60, GV70, and GV80) that would be used on the SUV line and the GT names (GT60, GT70, GT80, and GT90) that, we hoped, would end up on the back of at least one or two coupes or even a genuine grand tourer to rival the likes of Jaguar or Aston Martin.

Sadly, while Genesis did deliver on its promise of offering SUVs, there's been little information floating around when it comes to the sports cars. Back in April of 2019, Genesis boss Manfred Fitzgerald told an Australian outlet that the company's first EV will arrive in 2021 and that it won't be a production version of the Mint Concept unveiled at that year's New York Auto Show. While vague at best, this statement was followed by another one that was a bit more revealing.

"We’re serious about everything we do," said Fitzgerald last year. "Normally in the automotive industry concept cars have a very short shelf life — they make a big splash and then you don’t tend to see them again. We don’t treat them that way. We’re still pursuing the one that you saw last year in a very, very serious manner and hopefully we’ll make an announcement in due time."

So, in short, Genesis does look into the possibility of making a mass-produced version of the concept it showed at the 2018 edition of the New York show, namely the Essentia.

Also showcased at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Italy, the Essentia pushes Genesis' design language to its most beautiful limits. The diminutive two-door GT features butterfly doors and curvy lines blending with the typical Genesis pointy cues such as the triangular grille pointed towards the edge of the bumper and the thin twin-blade LED lights.

The Essentia is an autonomous EV concept that you can drive yourself meaning that it's got a fully functional dash and controls but it can also drive itself if you can't be bothered with pushing the pedals and turning the steering wheel. While we never got full performance specs, we were told that the Essentia could go from naught to 60 mph in "about three seconds" thanks to its multiple electric motors connected to a high-density battery pack.

Inspired by the Essentia Concept, the Korean KKS Studio came up with the digital rendering you see here. Part Aston Martin DB11, part Jaguar F-Type, this Genesis could win many awards on the basis of its design alone. Akin to the Essentia, the design study we see here (proposed for the GT70) blends curvaceous lines towards the rear with the flashy and wide Genesis grille in the front and some G80-esque headlights on either side of the front fascia.

We see this car as some sort of a Nissan 400Z rival although Genesis might go a step ahead and actually challenge BMW's Z4 or even Jaguar's F-Type - it will surely be there in terms of build quality.