At the 2019 New York International Auto Show, Genesis unveiled the Mint concept, a small two-seater city car with all-electric propulsion.
At the time, Genesis hadn’t launched in Europe yet, but the Korean luxury brand is reportedly thinking of building an urban luxury EV that would take inspiration from the Mint Concept and would cater to European tastes.
Autocar reports that Genesis is considering a small, Europe-focused luxury EV, potentially beating Tesla’s much-anticipated entry-level car to market.
Given the concept’s compact dimensions, a production car inspired by the Genesis Mint would be suited for Europe first and foremost. “We’re looking at expanding our model line-up, and especially in Europe a smaller model is being considered,” Mark Choi, head of product planning for Genesis, told the British outlet.
He added that the entry-level Genesis EV is not a done deal as the automaker has to factor in many things such as the growth of sales anticipated for its current models, the manufacturing capacity, and the rising cost of raw materials.
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Choi hinted that the latter factor could delay the launch of the small EV because Genesis may decide to wait until the prices of raw materials for batteries come down before launching the car. However, that hasn’t been decided yet.
Hyundai Motor Group VP of Design SangYup Lee confirmed that the Mint concept “is still being studied,” adding that the automaker wants to understand what a small luxury car could be.
“When you live in a city, you don’t necessarily want a big car, so a small luxury vehicle is something to think about. There are premium small cars, but a luxury small car could be something new.”
If it gets the green light for production, the entry-level Genesis EV will sit below the GV60 crossover in the lineup.
How much of the Genesis Mint concept will make it to production is anyone’s guess at the moment, but the twin scissor doors will likely be replaced by conventional doors. Furthermore, the car could gain rear seats for added practicality.
The concept’s range of 200 miles is also likely to get upgraded, although it’s still decent for a city car, especially one that charges at up to 350kW – assuming the production model retains that capability from the concept.
