NEW YORK – The Genesis luxury brand reveals an all-electric concept car ahead of the first press day of the 2019 New York International Auto show.
The 2-seat Mint, a hint of Genesis’ promised first EV slated to arrive in 2022, is a city car featuring “innovative digital UX,” Genesis says in a release provided to media ahead of tonight’s reveal.
The Hyundai-owned brand says the Mint’s center console, with a central control knob, can be folded to transform the floating front bench seat into a settee. The instrument panel and bench seat automatically swivel to make entering and exiting the vehicle easier.
The steering wheel has an oblong shape and to its left and right are three small, round screens trimmed in copper. A seventh screen, wide and rectangular, is mounted flush in the wheel and displays “primary vehicle information.”
The interior’s appearance is influenced by European furniture design and the Korean tradition of embracing empty space, says Luc Donckerwolke, executive vice president and chief design officer-Hyundai Motor Group.
Cognac leather, lightweight textiles and mullion-free windows help achieve an open look, Genesis says. In photos, a decorative webbed pattern, dubbed G-Matrix, can be seen on the vehicle’s floor, as well as on what appear to be its accelerator and brake pedals.
Exterior design cues include “extremely short” front and rear overhangs, Genesis’ quad lamps and crest grille – the latter mostly closed minus a slim opening for cooling the car’s battery pack – and G-Matrix-inspired pierced lower sheetmetal, also aiding in cooling the pack.
There is no trunk, but a parcel shelf that is accessed by scissor-style side openings.
The Mint concept was designed in collaboration with Genesis studios in Germany, the U.S. and South Korea.
Its battery pack in theory can provide an estimated 200 miles (322 km) of range when fully charged and is capable of ultra-fast charging via a 350-kW Level 3 charger.
Genesis, introduced by Hyundai three years ago in the U.S., is one of the U.S.’ smallest luxury brands, with 2018 volume of 10,312, a 49.9% falloff from 2018’s 20,594 sales. It retails just three vehicles, all cars: the G70, G80 and G90 sedans. It will launch its first CUV, the GV80, in 2020, per LMC and Wards Intelligence data. Another CUV, the GV70, is due in 2021.
