What's the news?
Genesis, Hyundai's luxury brand, is showing off a compact luxury concept at the New York motor show this week and it's definitely a potential rival to BMW's MINI. How do we know? Because it differs by only one letter - meet the Mint.
"As a brand, Genesis embraces progressive design values, and the Mint Concept reinforces this commitment from a previously undiscovered perspective," said Manfred Fitzgerald, Executive Vice President and Global Head of the Genesis Brand. "Mint belongs in the city, and we are proud to introduce our evolution of the ideal city car in New York."
So what is the Mint? It's a small, stylish, luxurious city car, powered by batteries, that doesn't have a boot. Yup, that's right. Instead of a conventional boot, the Mint gets what Genesis calls "a generous parcel shelf designed for occasional use." That's accessed by super-cool twin butterfly doors, one on each side, that open up and back like some kind of bijou Lamborghini. That's going to look cool when you're packing in your shopping...
Style-wise, it lifts some elements from the existing Genesis range such as the 'crest' grille and quad headlights, but the style is much more futuristic and flowing than we've seen from Genesis this far. In fact, finished in that distinctive Hunter Green Matte paint, this thing is really rather gorgeous. That's perhaps less surprising when you learn it's the work of former Lamborghini and Bentley designer Luc Donkerwolke. "The Mint Concept is a new urban icon that marries classic proportions with forward-looking, minimalist design," Donckerwolke said. "The Mint Concept instantly finds purpose and meaning in the city, just as so many people who call the world's most densely populated metropolises home.
"It disconnects the physical dimensions of the vehicle from its positioning as a premium product. The Mint Concept is a designer's Occam's razor that challenged us to visualise a scaled-down interpretation of our signature aesthetic."
Inside, it's a two-seater, with seats and dash finished in 'Cognac' leather, gunmetal trim, and a bench seat that's supposed to have the comfort of a sofa. Both the seat and the instrument panel can swivel to make getting in and out a bit easier. The oblong steering wheel is surrounded by six copper Graphic User Interface (GUI) information screens that show you critical vehicle functions individually. A seventh screen mounted flush in the steering wheel displays the most important vehicle information while allowing the driver to maintain focus on the road ahead. "The interior styling of the Mint Concept takes influence from the Korean tradition of embracing the empty space, as well as modern European furniture design," Donckerwolke said.
Genesis claims that the Mini... sorry, Mint will go for 300km on a single charge, and that it's compatible with 350kW ultra-fast charging.
As yet, Genesis isn't sold in Ireland, but Hyundai Ireland has previously confirmed to us that it's keeping an open mind about introducing the brand here.