At this year’s New York Auto Show, Korean automaker Genesis has unveiled the Essentia Concept, a groundbreaking electric sports car prototype. A collector’s dream, one that wouldn’t just be stored under a top rated car cover, but take a trip through the city, to showcase its elegance.
The all-electric, high- performance concept elevates and reimagines the “Athletic Elegance” design paradigm, while providing a vision of future Genesis product performance and technology.
“We understand our obligation as a luxury car manufacturer to create objects of desire, sparking passion and inspiration by emphasizing a culture while exceeding expectations in terms of technology and connectivity, bringing our outside world seamlessly to the inside of the vehicle,” said Manfred Fitzgerald, Global Head of the Genesis Brand. “This is what the Genesis Essentia Concept is all about, and we are thrilled to introduce our interpretation of an all-electric, two-door Gran Turismo here in New York.”
Essentia is the brand’s first battery-electric vehicle and features a lightweight carbon-fiber monocoque, a robust, multi-motor electric powertrain, and a custom-tailored interior. Essentia is the brand’s initial concept for a true GT car and challenges the status quo as the ultimate manifestation of Genesis design and engineering. As a capable, thrilling sports car designed to counter the complexities of a modern lifestyle, Essentia offers serenity, clarity, and beauty.
“The Genesis Essentia concept defines our vision for an electric Gran Turismo that integrates Athletic Elegance and Genesis DNA as defining parameters,” said Executive Vice President Luc Donckerwolke, Head of Genesis Design. “A Gran Turismo typology highlights our ambition as a luxurious car brand for the connoisseurs and it is the perfect base to project our DNA in the future.”
The all-electric Essentia features a “high-density battery pack” powering the multi-motor powertrain. The car departs from the usual under-floor battery pack, instead positioning it the center tunnel running between the seats. Being a concept car, precise technical details are scarce, but Genesis estimates a 0-60 mile-per-hour sprint of just 3 seconds.
In terms of technology, Essentia previews the future of connected driving with vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure technology. This allows the car to keep the driver up to date with weather and traffic conditions. It can recommend routes not just on efficiency or speed, but also on driver preference based on machine learning. The car can also adapt functions like performance, seat position, audio and chassis settings to match the driver and the particular road. Genesis Intelligent Assistant allows for robust voice control, including connected smart home functions.
