by Wallace Wyss –
Genesis recently showed the latest version of their Genesis convertible concept. I view this as a welcome addition to their line — an almost true luxury car. It seems by design cue to be almost Bentley-like and I predict it will be very profitable if they can offer a Bentley inspired car at half to a third of the Bentley price. And if Bentley doesn’t have a drophead coupe electric version, it’s game over.
Lights wrapping around grille are a little too carnival midway
I don’t know how serious they are. They should take the Tesla roadster as a bad example of PR puffery–promoting it for at least six years now but never greenlighting it.
Here’s my take on the design:
FRONT Grille still looks Bentley-ish. I would gradually year-by-year round the point off the bottom until if Bentley brings a suit for design infringement a which time they will look silly when it began years ago and they just noticed.
SIDE light bars are interesting but a bit too gaudy–need to be slimmed in vertical width, at present at least 50% wide hardtop to be commended for not showing breaklines as much as some hardtop convertibles like old Chrysler 200. But top appears at least 2″ too chopped for any headroom. Soft-top would have been acceptable–nobody told them the hardtop revolution is over. Mag wheels are about 20% too rococo.
Wheels are antique looking and too busy
REAR Having the light bar taillights collide with ducktail is a bit clumsy. I’d make the ducktail smaller. Width seems almost too wide but I’d like to see a a dimensional comparison to current Bentley dhc. Rear spoiler too dominant for luxury car. Would rather it be pared down.
Direct rear shows mismatch of spoiler with taillamps
INTERIOR The center-console-walling-off passenger concept is used in current Corvette but induces claustrophobia in some, including me.
Angle of console denies front seat passenger access to console
IN SUM Now that luxury convertibles from Detroit’s Big Three are disappearing (Mustang still has one but Camaro will be a no-show for 2025), the car will have some appeal. Mercedes and BMW and perhaps PoleStar will have convertibles but will they be all electric? I think if Genesis greenlights this car as a wanna-be Bentley dhc at perhaps a third of the Bentley price, they will have a winner.
The Europeans will be gut-punched and Detroit will be too slow to catch them if Genesis introduces it by 2025.
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
AUTHOR Wallace Wyss comments weekly on car design on Autotalk, a show broadcast from KUCR FM Riverside, CA.
I would be all over this if somewhere Genesis is hiding a turbo V-8 around 450HP. This car is “stylin!”
It’s very clean and that is almost refreshing but its bordering on boring… the lights wrapping into the fenders is an attempt to ad some detail to the shape… just my opinion, betting like the Tesla Truck there will be a huge fan base…
The emperors new clothes leave room for more…
Two guys standing at a pub in London, guy looks at the other and asks “ Want to go out and see my new Hyundai “ ?
It’s for the birds. A raptor beak in front and a duck beak in the rear. Tone those down and lose the light stripes and it’s a winner.