South Korean motor company Hyundai are not known for their Sports Cars, but that was before they brought in leading people from manufacturers such as Lamborghini and BMW. What they’ve created is The Essentia Concept Car that debuted at the New York Motor Show.
You may be surprised to know this, but the Hyundai Motor Group – which was only formed in 2000 – is actually the third biggest motor vehicle producer in the world with almost 7.9 million produced in a year. That puts it ahead of the likes of the likes of General Motors, Ford, Nissan, Honda, Renault, and BMW, and only behind Toyota and Volkswagen.
And whereas the Volkswagen group is actually made up of some 13 different marques, the Hyundai Group is made up of just 3 – Hyundai, Kia, and the little known Genesis.
In fact, Genesis only became a stand alone company a mere 3 years, and in that time has released just 3 models – the modest (albeit still well selling) G90, G80, and yes you guessed it the G70.
Things are changing though. Manfred Fitzgerald, a former director of brand and design at Lamborghini, joined as senior vice president. Luc Donckerwolke, the former design director of Volkswagen Group’s Bentley, Lamborghini, and Audi also joined and leads the design brand, and works alongside chief designer Peter Schreyer. Add to this the arrival of Albert Biermann, the former head of the BMW M performance division, who now oversees tuning and performance in his role of vice president of performance development and high-performance vehicles.
What they have created is called the Essentia – a concept car that made its debut at New York Auto Show last week, stealing the show in most people’s eyes.
Electric and electrifying, the Genesis Essentia is the ultimate expression of our athletic elegance design language. Redefining the promise of a grand tourer for the 21st century, Essentia is designed to connect completely with its driver and the world around it. Representing not just the future of Genesis, but the future of vehicle connectivity.
The ultra-sleek, four seater comes with butterfly doors, a carbon fibre chassis and frame, a spacious cabin adorned with Cognac red leather seats and herringbone quilting, and oxford blue leather on the dashboard. It also comes with AI-powered Intelligent Assistant functionality that allows for two-way dialogue and voice commands, with mobile payments made possible via the car’s centre screen.
There is no word on power yet, with a theoretical claim that it can do 0-60 mph in 3 seconds dead, so we are yet to see if it can truly hang with the big boys, but things look certainly exciting for Hyundai.
Take a look at the short video below, and for more updates when the happen please see the official website here.