Genesis GV80 Coupe Concept: Performance Minded And Almost Production Ready

Genesis sold more than 50,000 cars in the U.S. for the first time in 2022. That followed a massive 202% growth in sales in 2021, and by the end of Q1 this year, it had already notched 30,000 sales in 2023. While the Korean automaker’s entire lineup is composed of compelling and stylish vehicles, that growth is directly tied to its delectable GV80 and GV70 crossovers. Now the luxury brand is teasing one more: the GV80 Coupe Concept.

Unveiled at a private event ahead of this week’s New York International Auto Show, the GV80 Coupe Concept is a vividly orange, performance-focused “crossover coupe” that swaps the regular GV80’s traditional SUV roofline for a bespoilered fastback shape.

While Genesis is keen to stress that it’s only a concept at this time, the GV80 Coupe looks very much like something that could start rolling off an assembly line for 2024 and camouflaged prototypes of such a vehicle have already been spotted by intrepid spy photographers. If Genesis does build it, it’ll take direct aim at the BMW X6, Mercedes-AMG GLE Coupe and Porsche Cayenne Coupe. 

All of these “crossover coupes” are self-consciously sporty, and the GV80 Coupe Concept is no different. Although the potential specs for a production version are unknown, everything about this Sunkist-hued, four-seat machine telegraphs speed by intent. According to Luc Donckerwolke, Genesis’ chief creative officer, the concept is meant to “push the envelope with more emotional cars that elevate Genesis’ performance and dynamic attributes.”

A Hot Rod GV80?

Genesis’ first SUV, the GV80 has won repeated praise for style, dynamics and value. It drives very well, but the automaker has never offered a dedicated high-performance variation like its German S, M and AMG-badged competitors. The GV80 Coupe suggests change might be on the horizon.

Aside from its sleeker shape and that dramatic duck tail (topped by a carbon-fiber spoiler), it rides 23-inch rims shod on ultra-low profile Pirelli P Zero Scorpion performance tires. Within the big rims lurk slotted, cross-drilled brake rotors and hefty calipers. Inside, there are only four seats, all sports buckets, the kind you might find on a BMW X5 or X6 M. A giant chassis brace sits right behind the rear buckets, eating into the cargo area, a detail unlikely to end up in any production version.

What’s under the hood, however, remains a mystery. While Genesis aims to go fully electric by 2030, this is not an electrified machine, at least not in this concept form. 

Genesis’ more recent electric GV60 and Electrified GV70 both deliver heady performance from their electric motors and boost mode buttons, but any production GV80 performance model will be gas-powered. Likely candidates for the job would be a pumped-up version of the twin-turbo, 375-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 that’s the top engine in the existing GV80 lineup or the 409-horsepower, electric supercharger version seen in the new G90.

This concept probably also isn’t the start of any performance sub-brand like BMW’s M cars or Hyundai’s N lineup.

Designed to Dazzle

How fast it will go aside, the GV80 Coupe Concept certainly looks fast. The color, named Magma and themed on the volcanic activity beneath the Korean peninsula, can practically be seen from space. Genesis offers many interesting color combinations, but most of them are muted tones that reinforce the lineup’s genteel personality. It’s nice to see the brand embrace vivid hues in the way BMW and Porsche do.

The GV80’s lines still look new almost four years after its media debut, and the Coupe Concept only enhances them. The roofline is supposedly inspired by last year’s X Speedium Concept Coupe, and there are also some additional nifty concept car details like the light-up “Designed by Genesis” badges on the rocker panels. Not everyone loves crossover coupes, but this is a handsome design and a more cohesive one than its potential opposite number from BMW.

Inside, the cabin is swathed in black Alcantara, carbon fiber and more Magma paint. Observers were not allowed to sit in the GV80 Coupe Concept at Genesis’ event, but the big bucket seats blend poshness with a side of pugalism. There are rubber hand pumps, like on a blood-pressure cuff, to firm up the bolstering, another detail that probably won’t see the showroom. Still, it does suggest that a performance GV80 would get the heart pumping.

The Genesis GV80 Coupe Concept will be on display at the New York International Auto Show from April 7 to April 16 at the Jacob K. Javits convention center.