The Genesis Mint Concept has made its official debut at the 2019 New York International Auto Show this week, showing off the automaker’s vision for a pure electric luxury car for the city.
The Mint Concept is shaped like a hatchback, but features a rear parcel shelf instead of a traditional hatch. The two-seat layout ensures there’s plenty of room behind the driver and passenger seats for occupants to stash their daily essentials in the cockpit, with the parcel shelf only being designed for “occasional” use.
Genesis also says the design study “beautifully stretches a three-box design to the corners with extremely short front and rear overhangs.” It incorporates recent Genesis design cues, like the crest-shaped grille and front and rear quad-segment lamps, and wraps them up in a package that “reimagines the iconic shape of the city car, tailored to the needs of modern lifestyle.”
“The Mint Concept is a new urban icon that marries classic proportions with forward- looking, minimalist design,” Genesis design boss Luc Donckerwolke said in a statement. “The Mint Concept instantly finds purpose and meaning in the city, just as so many people who call the world’s most densely populated metropolises home.”
Powering the little runabout is a battery-electric powertrain that is “capable of an estimated 200 miles per full charge and 350-KW fast recharging,” Genesis says. No other information on the concept’s motor or battery was provided.
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While a city car like the Mint wouldn’t be very profitable (nor very popular) right now, vehicles like this could one day dominate roads in city centers and metropolises, where space is at a premium and fossil fuel vehicles are slowly becoming unwelcome.
The Genesis Mint Concept will be display all week long at the 2019 New York International Auto Show.