Let’s be clear, this new X Speedium Coupe just unveiled at Genesis House (est. November 2021) in New York is a design study meant first and foremost to showcase the design direction Genesis intends to follow in the coming years. But darned if the Korean luxury automaker doesn’t have a knack for making dreamy concepts that have people begging them to actually make something out of them.
Recall the adorable Mint concept we saw at the last round of pre-pandemic auto shows. And then there was the Genesis X concept presented last spring; this new Speedium Coupe is actually an evolution of that two-door coupe, now in fastback form. And as such, it carries more than a little of the design DNA of the dearly departed Stinger produced by Kia, may it rest in peace.
In relation to the earlier X concept, the Speedium features a reworked roofline, updated lighting and a panel in lieu of the front grille, and it loses a trunk while gaining a duck-tail spoiler.
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Again, Genesis is clear that while it does not plan on developing a production model from the X Speedium Coupe, the brand’s future electric models will inherit any number of its visual signatures – and that sounds fine to us.
“This car is an open-door moment in Genesis’ journey towards our future EV design,” said. “This isn’t a show car — it’s a look into our design processes as we explore ideas for the next wave of EVs, one that incorporates Genesis’ DNA.”
- Luc Donckerwolke, chief creative officer of Genesis
A core part of that DNA is a “less is more” approach, and that’s clear in the sleek, elegant lines of this new prototype, devoid as they are of extraneous details or messiness. Genesis calls its silhouette an ‘anti-wedge’ design, with at its heart a parabolic line extending the length of the car, and ending in an elliptical tail, for, as Genesis describes it, “a visually engaging tension between convex and concave surfaces in the rear.”
The concept’s name is taken from a well-known racetrack in South Korea called Inje Speedium, which of course is a signal that this may be an elegant creature, but it’s also sporty. The colour finish it’s decked in is called Inje Green, a reflection of the track’s mountainous location.