Hyundai Motor Company keeps shocking the automotive world with its ambition. The company’s latest surprise? A gorgeous 4-seater convertible – a kind of car most manufacturers don’t bother to offer anymore. It could carry a price tag to rival ultra-exclusive offerings from Bentley and Rolls-Royce.
“The X Convertible concept revealed ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show last year will go into production,” trade publication Automotive News reports. It will reportedly be all-electric.
The X convertible appeared as a concept car – a design study not necessarily meant for production – last November. It was remarkable for its beauty, with an old-school long-hood, short-rear-overhang design, a gorgeous over-the-top take on Genesis’s two-line light signature, and a driver-focused cabin that isolated the driver’s seat with a swooping center console.
They may have underestimated the price with that comparison. Peter Lanzavecchia is chairman of the council of dealers that advises Genesis on its approach to the North American market. He told Automotive News the car could cost “over $200,000 or $300,000.”
He added, “I guarantee we’re going see a lot of Bentley Continental convertible trade-ins on that when it comes to our showrooms.”
That may sound ambitious for Genesis. Not long ago, the company was best known for affordable luxury cars. But its recent high-end offerings like the G90 sedan have been a hit with critics, and its parent company has become the world’s third-largest automaker with ambitious plans.
Genesis wouldn’t be the only luxury automaker inching into exotic, ultra-luxury ground if the report is accurate. Cadillac, too, plans an all-electric super-luxury car in the Bentley price range, the Celestiq.
