Another year, another wacky Genesis concept.
Genesis has been on a roll in recent years for creating somewhat outlandish concepts. Last year was the radical Essentia Concept, and now this. Meet the small car brought to the Big Apple: The Genesis Mint Concept. The company says it’s a “lightweight runabout” meant to tackle the challenges of city life.
“The Mint Concept disconnects the physical dimensions of the vehicle from its positioning as a premium product, calquing (translating) the city car of the past to today,” said Chief Design Officer Luc Donckerwolke. To that end, Genesis’ Mint Concept is positively tiny. It’s a two-door, two-seater car with extremely short front and rear overhangs. As a result, it should be a cinch to maneuver in congested cities like New York.
Up front, the “quad lamps” extend to the corners of the car, emphasizing its stance. The crest grille is mostly closed off, but has a small opening to cool the battery pack. Naturally, as this is a city runabout of the future, it’s fully electric. The so-called “G-Matrix” pattern is not just designed for aerodynamics, but also for better cooling the battery pack.
Making the most of the space
Since it’s such a small car, it doesn’t afford luxuries like a cavernous trunk with a wide rear hatch. Instead, you get a parcel shelf behind the rear seats. What’s more odd is just how you access that cargo area in the first place. There are scissor-style side doors that offer a lower point to load and unload your things. The charging points are center-mounted on the back of the car.
Then there’s the rest of the interior. You don’t get a huge infotainment screen like we’re used to. In fact, it doesn’t look like you get conventional controls at all. Everything seems to be centered around the oblong steering wheel, which is another odd point of the car.
Genesis claims the Mint Concept is capable of 200 miles on a full charge. That’s plenty of range for a small city car, and it’s also capable of 350-kW fast charging. Like the Essentia, it takes design to some extremes. But hey, at least it’s something fresh and different.
Let us know what you think in the comments below! Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for more updates from the 2019 New York Auto Show.
