Hyundai Motor's premium brand Genesis on the 27th (local time) held the "Genesis Desert Premiere" in the Rub' al Khali desert in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and unveiled the extreme off-road concept car "X Scorpio Concept" for the first time in the world.
The X Scorpio Concept is a concept model designed with inspiration from the lifestyle of customers who enjoy off-road leisure. The name of the concept was inspired by the scorpion, an animal that survives powerfully even in harsh environments. It reflects the concept model's aim to deliver outstanding performance without losing elegance under extreme conditions.
The exterior draws inspiration from the scorpion's powerful stance to express both practicality and symbolism, enabling it to overcome any obstacle. Curves like the scorpion's arched tail flow along the body. To evoke the tension of a scorpion raising its tail, it emphasizes balance and symmetry together with Genesis' signature Two-Line headlamps.
The interior is designed so that, in an off-road vehicle where there is relatively more body movement, the driver can feel comfortable and maintain focus. It features ergonomic seats and intuitive climate control and infotainment interfaces, and grab handles are positioned to secure occupant safety in rough driving environments. A sliding display is also installed so both the driver and the front passenger can easily check driving information.
Along with this, for optimized driving on rough terrain such as sand dunes, it is equipped with a high-performance internal combustion engine; 18-inch beadlock wheels and 40-inch off-road tires; dedicated suspension; and Brembo brakes. By using materials such as fiberglass, carbon fiber, and Kevlar, it secures both weight reduction and durability.
President Luc Donckerwolke said, "The X Scorpio Concept is a model that shows another possibility unique to Genesis, with off-road endurance race experts directly participating in the design and parts supplied by specialist firms actually applied."
On the day, Genesis also revealed its launch strategy for concept models. It plans to subdivide existing concept models based on three emotional realms—"luxury," "sport," and "cool"—and apply the same approach to future models to express the brand's potential for expansion.
The luxury realm includes the X Gran Coupe and X Gran Convertible, which are based on the G90. The sport realm is represented by the GV80 Coupe, G90 Wingback Concept, and GV60 Magma Concept, while the cool realm includes the X Scorpio Concept, the X Gran Equator Concept, and the GV80 Desert Edition.
President Luc Donckerwolke said, "Concept models inspire our vision and serve as a medium to build emotional bonds with customers," adding, "Through concept models that embody the three emotional realms, we will continue to present the designs and future technologies customers want."