The electric transition brings out the boldest at Hyundai’s design department. After the eye-catching Ioniq 6, chief creative officer Luc Donkerwolcke has declared to North American dealers that luxury brand Genesis will be putting the X Convertible on the assembly line.

The X Convertible was the last in a series of three concepts, which were widely regarded as styling exercises giving form to inspiration for future models for Genesis. The stunning roofless two-seater took the spotlights at the Los Angeles Auto Show last year. A coupé version preceded it. Both models embody what Genesis calls ‘sustainable luxury’ and are high-performance, zero-emission vehicles.

Rival for Bentley

Dreams like these are carried to motor shows as brand identity builders or design muses. But Genesis plans to turn things one notch up in this case. To Automotive news, Peter Lanzavecchia, chairman of the Genesis National Dealer Advisory Council, said that Luc Donkerwolcke confirmed to the dealers in a meeting that the X Convertible will become a showroom reality.

Lanzavecchia added: “I don’t know if it’s going to be over $200 000 or $300 000, but I guarantee we’ll see a lot of Bentley Continental Convertible trade-ins on that when it comes to our showrooms.” It’s no secret that the Genesis design team is modeling itself after the high-luxury models from Crewe. The front grille, called Crest, is more or less a hint.

Weak demand

The confirmation follows after, while presenting the car in Los Angeles, the Belgian chief of design, Luc Donkerwolcke, said that the design team was pushing hard for a production vehicle. It now seems they have won that battle.

Whether the X will cross to Europe is another big question mark. Genesis has launched in the key markets of Switzerland, Germany, and the UK but hasn’t announced plans yet for further expansion.

Demand is rather weak at this point, and analysts expect the brand to account for no more than 0,1% of the overall car market in the EU by 2025. Maybe a halo model like this convertible can trigger some appetite for the more accessible SUVs and crossovers from the brand’s portfolio.

The X Convertible features a drop-top with a large glass surface to keep things illuminated even in a closed configuration. The other two concepts completing the trilogy are the X Speedium Coupé and the X Concept (a two-door grand tourer). They all share the same electric driveline with no undisclosed details so far.