My headline is a little mean, because the Genesis GV80 Coupe Concept actually looks sleek and nice! Is it an actual coupe? No, of course not, but neither is the BMW X4 or Porsche Cayenne Coupe or Mercedes GLC Coupe or a bunch of others. They’re just SUVs with “fastback” designs that reduce rear headroom but give off “sporty” vibes. Folks, especially ones who remember things like the fall of the Berlin Wall and the official decree against lawn-dart sales, are eating this stuff up, and Genesis isn’t keen to miss out on all those sales to folks seeking the comfort of a crossover, but with a bit of styling pizzaz to make them feel like they’re still “hip.” Check out the new GV80 Coupe Concept.
My first thought upon seeing the new images of the GV80 coupe were: Woh, they slapped a Kia EV6 arse on a Genesis GV80!
Am I right? Here’s a close-up of the butt:
Here’s the standard GV80 rear end:
And here’s the Kia EV6:
I realize it’s not the most inspired automotive journalism to, upon seeing a new car, simply relate its styling to that of existing vehicles, but surely you all see this, too, right?
Anyway, in keeping with the vibe of this whole class if coupe-ified SUVs (a space occupied largely by ze Germans), Genesis has included some buzzwords with the GV80 Coupe Concept’s debut. Here they are:
The four-passenger GV80 Coupe Concept adds a new facet to the Genesis brand. “It emphasizes the duality of the Genesis brand by showcasing the antagonistic character that lives within the Athletic and Elegance parameters of Genesis’ design philosophy,” said Luc Donckerwolke, Group Chief Creative Officer.
Oh, and should you be concerned about the lack of the classic D-term that we know and love, fear not:
…the GV80 Coupe Concept combines the practicality of a lifestyle-oriented SUV with the dynamism of a sports car.
Actually, I shouldn’t poke too much fun at that, as it was my friend Luc who said that first quote, and he designed the Audi A2, so he can say whatever the hell he wants. Also he’s a real car guy who enjoys old Porsches and also big-ass American trucks.
Genesis showed off the four-passenger concept vehicle at the Genesis House in New York earlier today, saying it represents a “statement of intent for the future.” Based on the design, I’d say this thing is just about ready for production, and will hit showrooms fairly soon.
Genesis says the GV80 Coupe Concept saw inspiration from the X Speedium Coupe Concept that Genesis showed last year; I actually have seen this in person at the German Car of the Year event; Luc was there to show it off, and it truly is incredible:
Here’s some more from Luc, whose car collection I’ll hopefully be showing you all when I visit Germany again later this year:
“At its inception, the Genesis brand began creating luxury sedans, which evolved into the
G70, G80, and G90 models,” said Luc Donckerwolke. “Over the past seven years, we have
added more lifestyle-oriented models to the portfolio, such as our GV80 and GV70 SUVs.
Now we are pushing the envelope with more emotional cars that elevate Genesis’
performance and dynamic attributes.”
To be fair, it’s not just the tail end of the Genesis GV80 that’s new; the “Coupe’s” face is also sportier. Compare that above to the standard car:
Genesis describes the new nose, saying:
The GV80 Coupe Concept’s front fascia sports the Double G-Matrix Patterned Crest Grille
surrounded by the quad lights, which have evolved from multi-lens array technology to
seamless light performance. Cooling is optimized by four slots within the bumper that reduce
shadowed thermal flow.
It’s a little hard to tell in the photos whether those front fenders are different, but Genesis does say that “These refined proportions are further
emphasized by the anti-wedge parabolic line. It is complemented by the muscular blisters and fenders that contrast with the vehicle’s elegant coupe silhouette,” so perhaps?
There’s a carbon fiber roof, a spoiler at the rear, and and the aforementioned “elliptical concave ducktail,” which apparently “provides increased downforce at speed.”
It’s not a real coupe, but words’ meanings change, and that’s OK. I don’t need to get all unhinged about it like my colleague Jason did back in 2018. Here are a few more photos, including some interior shots:
All images: Genesis
It looks good. That is a good thing. Beauty isn’t always rational, just like cars. So by that logic, this thing might be a rational design? At any rate, this looks great and needs to exist in Orange. I surely would do bad things on the way to the store in this thing.
Not as horrible as most of these things – usually the greenhouse is way too short for the slabby sides but this gets that closer to correct – but the front end is too tall.
Aero dictates the shape, the designers and copywriters just get to dress it up and sell it.
I kind of like the looks of it, but as a ’90s kid I am predisposed to like cars that are shaped like jellybeans. I’m not too concerned about the headroom compromise since I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had passengers in the backseat of my car. The sloping rear end does have a pretty adverse effect on cargo capacity, however, which would be a pain when going on a particularly heavy Costco run… and I’d expect to be able to easily fit my bike in the back of a vehicle of that size, and I’m not so sure it’d be a simple endeavor here (certainly not with that scaffolding in the back).
What I’m not going to do, though, is get bent out of shape over the use of the term “coupe”. While for much of my life “coupe” has meant “2 doors” and “sedan” “4 doors”, I have vague memory of attending a car show with my dad when I was a kid and seeing 2-door “sedans” and 4-door “coupes”. This confused me at the time, and my dad attempted to explain the difference. I think it had something to do with the windows or the shape of certain pillars. I didn’t get it then, and now as an adult I realize that terms like that are at least 80% marketing, and I’m fine with that. I’ll continue to like what I like, regardless of what it’s called.
I didn’t know it until this morning, but I really hate the phrase ‘muscular blisters’.
The Coupe/Sportback/Whatever trend in SUV design is the worst. Absolutely wreck everything good about an SUV for some ridiculous sporty roofline. These thigs are vile, heinous abominations.
That thing is hideous. Makes me miss my actual Genesis Coupe
Smart of Genesis to tap into that sweet Albanian mobster market. Not sure it’s ugly enough though.
Make it a convertible a la the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet and I’m in.
I like this better than the other Genesis SUVs, but I think it is mostly due to the rear fenders more than the “coupe” roofline. No doubt it is stupid in terms of “utility” but if car buyers only cared about utility, there would be more than 2 station wagons on the market today.
Should be called a “coop” because somebody definitely laid an egg.
Reminds me of a colleague and I, people of normal height, trying to get into the back seat of an Acura ZDX at the Detroit auto show. It was impossible without yoga-esque contortions
Does it look pretty good all things considered? Yes!
…does that change the fact that this is the stupidest trend in all of automotive design? Absolutely not. The coupe-UV nonsense makes me irrationally angry. SUVs are already full of compromises. You’re sacrificing fuel economy, safety for others on the road, driving dynamics, maneuverability, etc. when it comes to an SUV.
What you are gaining is space. You can fit all sorts of stuff and several people in them comfortably. They are inherently quite practical. You also gain ease of entry/exit but I’d estimate that probably 80% of the people saying that’s why they buy them are just being babies. If you have a medical condition of some sort then I get it. If you don’t then I don’t buy it.
This idiocy completely does away with a lot of the extra space. So you’re buying something that’s big, wasteful, compromised in pretty much every way, etc. that doesn’t even offer the one thing SUVs are legitimately good for. Brilliant. Whenever I encounter these monstrosities in the wild I can’t help but assume the worst when it comes to the people driving them, because they’re rolling monuments to selfishness and excess.
“The coupe-UV nonsense makes me irrationally angry.”
I don’t know who you are but more often then not you beat me to commenting my own opinion on these articles.
I agree completely that the “lifted sedan” trend has to be the absolute dumbest thing in the auto industry and to be able to charge more for these variants blows me away. I have no idea what these consumers are thinking when they buy them.
I agree with your points, but the companies know that the people buying this car don’t care. They just want something that looks fast good and will impress their friends for a brief moment in time.
Ah yes the return to the Personal Luxury Car continues.
Just wait until two door, 5,000+ pound luxury crossovers that effectively only seat two come out. That’s the next logical step here.
I don’t think we’ll have to wait long. And I think 5000lb is on the light side. Just wait for the personal luxury Hummer EV coupe. Two seats, an entire lithium mine, 9500lb, and 1000hp! What could possibly go wrong?
Well put. The strategy of taking the largest sedan in the stable and removing 2 doors for style, is now taking SUVs and turning them into tall heavy cars with no regard for fuel economy. With every SUV “coupe” that comes out I realize how the Acura ZDX was truly ahead of it’s time (unfortunately).
The quotes here demonstrate why I hate when designers write a press release.
I don’t care what word we use for it, but I want my next car to be a low, hard-topped, two door car with either two seats or with rear seats small enough passengers regret climbing in there.
Like 17 of my 23 cars have been.
And if they could make it with a hatch so I can actually use the space in the back (screw you GT86) and not ruin that hatch with a massive welded in strut brace (hate you 350z) that’d be great.
Tell Luc this guy thinks he’s as good as Friedrich Geiger from MBZ ever was.
I have a massive crush on his designs (except the A2, which is goofy AF)
Just wait until the Hummer EV gets a coupe versi — wait a minute!
You know Luc Donkerwolke?!
Can you ask him what happened to the Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 concept? I expressed very real interest for that car. Bentley made the package no one makes anymore — a genuine 2-seat (not 2+2) luxury GT coupe with a liftback hatch. No one makes a luxury version of that anymore, and the EXP 10 Speed 6 was a STUNNING version of that. I had no idea how I could justify buying one, but dammit, I would’ve found a way!
It certainly is one of the better looking versions of a product no one really needs. I think they actually did a decent job of using the rear lip to pull the greenhouse back far enough that they might have salvaged more headroom than the typical turtle top of these euphemistically named SUV Coupes.
That said, the only sports car element to these is in making their drivers feel like they are sporting a larger penis.
“Coupe” SUVs are blasphemous and all, but I’ll be damned if that isn’t 1000% better than the OG.
Not to mention, “fastback” is not only a cooler word than “coupe,” but actually true about the car.
What will it take to convince automakers to begin correctly referring to these vehicles as fastbacks, unless they actually have two doors?
DT I’m pretty sure you weren’t even born when the Berlin Wall fell, given your lack of pop culture awareness.
And a coupe doesn’t have 4 doors.
But I do like what Hyundai has been up to of late….
Heaven help me, but I find it rather attractive even though I hate that genre of car with a blistering passion. I think Hyundai/Genesis and Kia have been rather successful of late in fighting the bland in car design. It’s not always to my taste but it sure isn’t boring.
And more tasteful plaid on seats, please!
Coupe comes from the French to cut.
I think it was first used in shortened light horse carriages.
However I think it appropriate in this instance they chopped the back of the top and cooped up the rear passengers.
It should be called a “coop,” then. Agreed.
This is one of those concepts where the production car has already been greenlit, and this is merely a preview. Of course, it uses a lot of the regular GV80, but…differently.
The thing about the regular GV80 is that it already comes off looking like a proto-form of a Genesis. The sharp angles and overly sculpted surfaces place it firmly in yesterdecade; the other Genesis models (including this concept) look smoother and more fleshed-out.
I imagine Genesis will end up doing some sort of facelift on the regular GV80 in order to give it design parity with this Coupe, possibly a drastic one. After that, hopefully Genesis comes up with a design school and sticks with it for a while. Drastic changes over evolutionary are death for a luxury brand.
Genesis already did this once. The pre-facelift G70 and prior G90 looked very different from the later ones. I don’t think they can afford to do it again.
(Lest you think this is me picking on the GV80, I actually like the design. I think it will age well. I would’ve bought one, if the greedy Hyundai dealer hadn’t been charging $8K over sticker on it…whereas BMW was willing to give a discount on an ordered X5, and the Cayenne, GLE and Q7 were selling at sticker.)
As for Luc, I remember him famously calling out the Lincoln Continental concept (which previewed the production 2017 Continental) as being a blatant rip-off of the Bentley Flying Spur. And, to be fair, the Continental concept did have more than a bit of VW Group flair to it, and it was especially damning because Lincoln had—up to that point—had no design continuity whatsoever.
Here’s an obligatory mention of the Rover P5 four-door coupe from 60 years ago, where they wrecked the sedan’s rear headroom and called it a coupe
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Rover_P5_coup%C3%A9.jpg/1280px-Rover_P5_coup%C3%A9.jpg
I think the “COUPES HAVE 2 DOORS GODDAMMIT” crowd needs to remember that most 2-door iterations of 4-door cars had “ruined rear headroom” compared to the 4-door versions, but people latched onto the more basic aspect of the design – the number of doors – instead of the body style itself.
Counterpoint: my uncle’s 1966 Impala coupe.
Theory; it was supposed to be a 4-door hardtop but got converted back to a post sedan at the last minute because Rover couldn’t figure out how to do reinforcements to the frame and half-B pillars. At least so it wouldn’t start rattling just out of warranty. They didn’t figure out that Detroit’s trick was they considered it acceptable to start rattling just out of warranty.