Two New Genesis X Gran Convertible Concept Debut As Drop-Top Luxury Land Yachts

Few automakers have progressed as much or as quickly as Genesis, and the premium brand is once again signaling its intentions to move further upmarket with the presentation of a new X Gran Convertible concept at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend, where the Korean marque is making its Hypercar class debut. But wait, haven't we seen a similar concept before? Indeed, at the Seoul Mobility Show last year, Genesis showed the convertible for the first time, but it's now presenting the drop-top concept in new colorways, and that's important for a brand that wants to attract the attention of the wealthy, who always prefer a bit of personalization to go with their six- or seven-figure transportation devices.

New X Gran Convertible Concepts Are Enormous

What makes these Genesis G90-based concepts particularly noteworthy is that they not only look production-ready, but they also eschew the trend of making four-seat convertibles only suitable for two adults, with spacious individual rear seats that have their own console and controls in the middle. A long wheelbase provides the legroom, giving the X Gran Convertible concepts a stately appearance. With the roof up, the long doors and extended near-monolithic bodywork give me hints of a 1964 Lincoln Continental, though this is a much more curvaceous design with shorter overhangs. Above, we see the Liquid Titanium example contrasted by a bright orange interior, a hue that calls to mind the Genesis Magma Racing division and is repeated in the wheel rims, and below, Genesis shows us Midnight Teal with tartan-inspired fabrics in a calming green hue. If these concepts foreshadow production vehicles, we expect that buyers will have access to many more colorways, both inside and out.

And don't write these concepts off as unlikely to reach production. The stunningly striking G90 Wingback Wagon could reach production in low volumes, and neither these convertibles nor the X Gran Equator SUV concept is just something to show off and forget about. This is Genesis using its Le Mans entry and other Magma creations to gauge global interest, and if there's enough demand from the buying public, it's entirely possible that these recent Genesis concepts will reach production, a possibility made more likely by the fact that their designs are far less extreme than that of the X Gran Berlinetta concept.

V8 Power Would Sell the Genesis Concept Vibe

While the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 in the current G90 is acceptable, a V8 engine would be better at selling the luxury image Genesis is crafting, and the G90 Wingback Wagon could get a V8, which means it could work in the X Gran Convertible, too. There have even been rumors that the GV70 Magma could get a V8, possibly one related to the twin-turbo eight-cylinder in the GMR-001 racecar. Hopefully, Genesis will stop teasing us with iterations of these concepts and just build some luxury two-door cars, but that requires the company to be certain it can turn a profit. The fact that the X Gran concepts keep showing up in new forms suggests the automaker isn't quite there just yet, but it can't be too far away either. Maybe we'll have production news before the end of the year.

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