You Know You Want This Genesis X Gran Berlinetta Hypercar

While there are no final specs, we’re betting you’ll hit 60 before you can pronounce the name of this exotic new hypercar, the Genesis X Gran Berlinetta Vision Gran Turismo Concept. We know you want it. And you may even get to drive it. If you play the Gran Turismo videogame, anyway. It made its debut at the Gran Turismo World Series World Finals in Barcelona, Spain over the weekend and will be available to anyone playing the game come January.

We like to think of video games as the great democratizing force. Where else can the average gearhead get to drive some of the most exotic, desirable and expensive vehicles in the world? Corvettes, Bugattis, Ferraris. And you can even take a spin in a moon buggy like the one Apollo astronauts took to the moon a half-century ago.

Now Genesis is getting into the game, quite literally, having unveiled a wild new hypercar over the weekend at the Gran Turismo World Series World Finals in Barcelona Spain. It’s officially known as the Genesis X Gran Berlinetta Vision Gran Turismo Concept, though the automaker says you’re welcome to shorten that to the X Gran Berlinetta VGT.

A “timeless design”

“Our goal was to create a timeless design rooted in the essence of motorsport,” said John Krsteski, Genesis senior chief designer. “We have an incredibly diverse global design team that are car and racing enthusiasts. The designers relished the opportunity to create a race car that featured Genesis design elements as well as technical performance attributes. It has become a catalyst of inspiration for our other programs.”

The hypercar seems like the natural evolution for a brand that started as a high-line Hyundai before being spun off as a standalone luxury marque. It’s been expanding its lineup, developing a more distinctive design language and hinting at where things might go with concept vehicles such as last year’s Genesis X Convertible.

While the South Korean luxury brand is clearly moving closer to an all-electric portfolio, the concept hypercar rolls with a hybrid powertrain, a version of the Genesis E-SC technology. For starters, there’s a mid-mounted Lambda 11 V6 gas engine capable of revving up to near F1 speeds of 10,000 RPMs. It punches out a hefty 870 horsepower and 790 pound-feet of torque. These days, that’s not all that exotic, so the Yasa E electric motor pumps out another 201 hp and 196 lb-ft of instantaneous torque.

An “snit-wedge attitude”

While the concept’s performance may win over Gran Turismo players, it’s the design that’s likely to catch their eye. If it triggers a sense of déjà vu that’s not entirely without reason, details clearly harkening back to two earlier Genesis concepts: the Essentia rolled out in 2018 and the Speedium revealed in 2022.

The X Gran Berlinetta VGT is long, low and wide, with what the automaker describes as “cab backwards proportions with Genesis’ typical anti-wedge attitude.“

Surprisingly, the concept is nowhere near as aerodynamic as you might expect, with a drag coefficient of 0.34 not all that much better than the current Genesis GV60 battery-electric SUV. It doesn’t really matter here, as it’s a hybrid drivetrain, not all-electric. (And, even if it were, you wouldn’t have to worry about draining your battery in Gran Turismo’s virtual world.)

Track-ready

Among the more distinctive features are the twin, wraparound headlights flowing into the front quarter panels, and the ovoid rear end which picks up on the signature Genesis twin light theme.

The cabin, with its extensive carbon-fiber appointments, subtly retains the feel of current production Genesis models, with quilted leather in the X Gran Berlinetta VGT’s sport bucket seats that boast track levels of bolstering.

Maintaining maximum focus

The overall look is minimalistic, with a narrow instrument panel highlighted by aerospace-style air vents. The design features a yoke-style control, rather than a conventional steering wheel. And the gauge cluster is displayed on a digital display floating behind the yoke. Twin knobs let a driver quickly adjust both ABS and traction control settings.

“The essential functions are prioritized to maximize focus while on the racetrack,” Hyundai explained.

While there appear to be no plans to produce a real Genesis hypercar, the Genesis X Gran Berlinetta Vision Gran Turismo Concept gives us a sense of where the automaker’s design language is heading. As for the drivetrain, it’s been focusing on all-electric technology lately. But the hybrid layout here might suggest that Genesis has other options in mind were it to roll out a serious performance model in the not-too-distant future.