► New concept revealed in Barcelona
► At the 2023 Gran Turismo World Finals
► Styling hints at future production cars
You’re looking at the Genesis X Gran Berlinetta VGT, an extreme concept car that continues to stretch and expand the young brand’s bold design language. Unveiled at the 2023 Gran Turismo World finals in Barcelona, the X Gran Berlinetta VGT is a Vision GT car, and therefore commissioned especially for use in Gran Turismo 7. However according to Genesis’ North American design team, it firmly establishes design cues that’ll be seen on future production cars.
It looks like a Genesis?
It does, and that’s because despite having a relatively blank canvas for the project, Genesis’ North American design team wanted to distil the very essence of the brand into the new concept. And what’s the essence of Genesis you ask? Well, it starts with the badge: the crest forms the shape of the grille, while two lines across the logo’s wings end up forming the car’s unique light signature.
‘Whenever you see a Genesis on the road, people immediately recognise it by the two line signature with the headlamps, and then the two line signature with the rear of the car as well,’ said John Krsteski, Senior Chief Designer of Genesis Design North America at the unveil in Barcelona. ‘So two lines; that’s the way we always approach our design ethos.’
With that in mind, the X Gran Berlinetta VGT takes the now customary Genesis grille and turns up to eleven, while glowing, parallel lines wrap around the front and the back of the car just like the brand’s current production models. The X Gran Berlinetta VGT is of course very different to a G70, but Genesis is keen to point out its ethos of ‘athletic elegance’ is just a bit more front and centre in this car.
Take the Genesis’ styling cues to one side, however, and the X Gran Berlinetta VGT features classic lines and volumes more reminiscent of something from Italy – and that was deliberate, too.
‘In the beginning of this project, we were heavily inspired by cars from the 60s specifically Grand Touring Cars,’ said Tony Chen, Exterior Manager of Genesis Design North America. ‘These vehicles really accentuate a long dash to axle distance, and that means the cabin is really pushing and really accentuating power from the front. It’s then swept back where you have a really long hood.’
‘The vehicle is really reduced in frontal mass, so it cuts through the air very efficiently. You’ll see in the shoulder [what] we call this the parabolic gesture. And this also is seen amongst our production line-up, where the line or the volume starts up high and then drops.’
Inside, the X Gran Berlinetta VGT is a hybrid of race car and luxury saloon, so although you can see the shape of the monocoque, it’s all padded with neat diamond-stitching. Like the brand’s production cars, the concept uses fine, almost jewellery-like details in its switchgear – once again adding to the luxurious feel. To keep the gaming theme going, Genesis’ interior designers have take inspiration for the steering wheel from the PlayStation’s iconic controller.
It’s not that crazy…
Unlike some of the more extreme Vision GT cars (take a look at the Lamborghini V12 VGT, for example), the Genesis concept isn’t beyond the realms of reality. For a start it’s not powered by hydrogen or supercapacitors; the Genesis design team says it’ll use hybrid power in a way similar to most hypercars.
In fact, a lot of the possible engineering has been sense-checked at least. Polyphony Digital’s rigorous approach to its Real Driving Simulator has forced the Genesis team to seriously think about the engineering under the X Gran Berlinetta’s flowing curves.
‘That was all a great learning experience for us because we didn’t realise the level of intensity that goes into every detail of performance,’ admits Krsteski. ‘We went back and forth even with our engineering teams internally to gather all this information to make sure that it was all going to go into the game. So, the cars, when they do perform, they’re performing exactly as [they would].’
What about the powertrain?
Like many contemporary hybrid supercars, it’ll use a compact V6 – in this case front mid-mounted in the car’s swooping bonnet. Genesis has picked a redline of 10000rpm, and quotes a maximum output of 1071hp and 986lb ft of torque. 859bhp and 790lb ft of that would come from the ICE, while the remaining 198bhp and 196lb ft will come from a Yasa e-motor.
Will it get to production?
Probably not, though Genesis’ design team is adamant that aspects of it will be recognisable in future production cars.
‘The crest grille, the two lines, the parabolic gesture – these are all kind of resonating in the line-up today and will be further enhanced in the future,’ revealed Chen. ‘So once we develop this kind of design strategy, the team really has their own take on how to cook with those ingredients: that’s what you see [in the concept] and what you’ll see in trickling future production vehicles.
Think of this Vision GT car as a canvas to stretch, prod and exercise Genesis’ design ethos and you’re pretty much there.
When can you drive it?
The Genesis X Gran Berlinetta VGT will come to Gran Turismo 7 in January 2024.