Genesis New York Concept challenges BMW 3-Series

Genesis, Hyundai’s premium brand, has revealed how it intends to fight the BMW 3-Series and Audi A4 with a new hybrid four-door saloon simply labelled New York Concept, revealed today.

The car, which has a front engine/rear drive mechanical layout, is the first Genesis model to appear since a new design team headed by ex-Bentley design chief Luc Donckerwolke took over at the company. Little is being revealed at present about how the Concept’s hybrid system works, but it is almost certain that the system will eventually be shared with Genesis’ related marques.

The New York Concept, which continues the Genesis design theme of “athletic elegance” established in several concepts including the full-size G90 saloon, is understood to be reminiscent of the forthcoming G70; a four-door saloon car, Genesis is carefully positioning it to steal sales in the premium compact executive market and, in turn, gain a foothold in one of the world’s toughest sectors.

The Concept has a long bonnet, with its cabin located rearwards in a classic sporty layout. It has a prominent, upright grille and strong horizontal headlights to reinforce the impression. “A proper front engine and rear drive layout with a long dash-to-axle distance is essential to our luxury design language,” explained Donckerwolke.

Below the Concept’s elegant lamps, airflow guides channel air through the forward wheel housings. The front and rear door handles are integrated into the concept’s prominent belt-line, and sit flush with the body sides. Meanwhile, integrated vents in the bonnet and front fender sides underscore the car’s sporty character.

2.0-litre turbo plus electric power

The only mechanical detail to be revealed about the New York Concept’s hybrid system is that and that its petrol engine will be a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder producing 242bhp and 242lb ft of torque, and coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Combine that with, say, an extra 100bhp of electric power and the car promises a sporty performance.

In the cabin, the design team has concentrated on “eliminating some of the negatives” associated with growing high-tech content, stressing logic and space. The dominating feature is a curved, 21-inch floating screen that incorporates both conventional driver instruments and multimedia functions. The car has an open steering wheel, shaped to maximise view of the instruments, and there is a prominent and simple central control panel.

The central idea, says Genesis, is to “set a new standard for user experience and function control” with this design, which Genesis designers believe gives a realistic view of future interiors.