Genesis Mint Concept is perfectly suited to New York debut

Genesis is a luxury builder and its current lineup is rich in big cars – as it should be, given its size, it provides a sense of wealth and prosperity. The surprise was great when the company decided to bring an electric car to the New York auto show in 2019. But, according to Genesis, this is perhaps not so surprising.

"The Mint belongs to the city," said Manfred Fitzgerald, Global Head of Genesis Brand, in a statement. The Korean manufacturer believes that more and more people will be settling in city centers in the coming years and that premium cars the size of a pint will be needed. "There is a white dot on the map," Fitzgerald told Roadshow at a preview event of the New York Auto Show this week.

In fact, the Royal Mint is a tiny thing: it's about the size of a Mazda MX-5 Miata. On the other hand, these 21-inch wheels are almost comical and push in the bends of the car. But see the concept of the front or rear viewpoint, and you'll notice its width, further accented by the LED lights that span the length of the front and rear fascias.

The coolest part of the Mint could be its back doors – which are not even doors at all. Rather than a classic hatchback with a trunk, two small hatches lift up and turn around, allowing you to access the luggage hold by the sides of the vehicle. The low, wide opening ready-in offers surprisingly good access to the space behind the front seats. It's easy to imagine this parallel car parked in a busy street and simply opening the side hatch so you can throw your stuff inside.

It may be purely conceptual for the moment, but it's not hard to imagine anything like on the road. "I do not believe in a too" la-la-land "concept," said SangYup Lee Roadshow, director of Hyundai's global design center, parent company of Genesis.

The powertrain of the Mint is also not an extravagant thing. It's a concept, of course, so it's all hypothetical. But in theory, the Mint uses a fully electric powertrain with a range of about 200 kilometers, with the ability to use a 350 kilowatt fast charge. Genesis imagines that this car would have at least Level 3 partially autonomous abilities, as well.

Fitzgerald said it would send "the wrong message" to apply the Mint concept to an internal combustion powertrain, and Genesis thinks that this car is best used as an EV. Regarding the range, Fitzgerald says Genesis "would like to have a flexible concept". If it is a question of production, several ranges could be proposed. "If it's a city-dweller, you do not need a lot of autonomy," he says.

You do not need a crazy interior, either. Open the front doors and the Mint will reveal its very simplistic cabin: a bench with two seats and an armrest in the middle, with a one-piece dashboard without clutter. In fact, when you open the door, the bench turns to you and the dashboard goes away. This facilitates not only the entry, the exit, but also the invitation.

The central infotainment screen of the car is small and housed in the steering wheel. Small stacks of buttons flank the wheel, providing shortcuts to commonly used features. At the end of the armrest, you will find a sphere that turns and turns on when the car is on. This is how you place the car parked, in reverse, in neutral and in the car. Similar spheres are found on the doors, which serve as electronic locks and window switches.

The main theme of the interior is the "G-Matrix" motif of Genesis. It is designed in the floor lining and a similar pattern is used on the cargo cover behind the seats. We first saw this design on the Genesis Essentia Coupe Concept from last year's New York show, and we are told that this is something that will soon arrive at the company's production cars. "You will see a lot of bold statements from Genesis in the future," SangYup Lee told us.

But will we see a production version of the Mint? This, of course, is in the air. "We really hope to see this in the very near future," Fitzgerald said. It might be even more viable than a road version of Essentia.

This is a small car that makes a big statement.

Update of April 17: Adds additional information