Genesis stunned us with the X Gran Coupe and X Gran Convertible concept cars. Based on the flagship G90 sedan, the two-door concepts previewed a new direction for the Genesis brand. Now the brand's chief creative officer, Luc Donckerwolke, says at least a G90 coupe is a real possibility for production.
At a New York Auto Show press conference, Donckerwolke said those concepts are real-deal prototypes—not design mockups simply for Genesis to display at an auto show. He also said the G90 platform underneath is totally unmodified, which helps make a better business case for the car. The investment is just in the bodywork, not the expensive stuff underneath.
"After having tried EV coupes and convertibles, we realized that people were not ready yet," Donckerwolke said. "So we said, 'Okay, let's take an existing platform and make a coupe out of it,' And we noticed that there was no compromise to be made in the design and in the desirability of the product by taking the platform of the G90."
"I'm very positive, and in the next months, we'll show the potential of the demand we will get from the markets, and I hope we'll have good news very soon. But you can believe that I will not let that go."
Later, Motor1 spoke with SangYup Lee, who heads up global design for Hyundai and Genesis, and he echoed Doncerwolke's comments. "When you're talking about a luxury brand, a big coupe and big convertible is really state of the art, the icon of the brand," Lee said.
"We call Genesis an elegant brand, and this is the ultimate athletic elegance."
Genesis hasn't outright confirmed a G90 coupe for production, but the early signs are promising.
Gallery: Genesis X Gran Coupe and X Gran Convertible concepts
