Genesis boss wants to make the Essentia concept a reality

"I will fight to the very end to have this car into production," he said.

The Genesis Essentia concept revealed during the 2018 New York auto show looked too good to be true, yet the company's most influential executive is relentlessly pushing for a production version of the high-performance, battery-powered coupe. It could become the Hyundai-owned brand's first electric model.

"We're serious about everything we do. Normally, in the automotive industry, concept cars have a very short shelf life -- they make a big splash, and then you don't tend to see them again. We don't treat them that way. We're still pursuing the one that you saw last year in a very, very serious manner, and hopefully we'll make an announcement in due time," Genesis boss Manfred Fitzgerald said during an interview with Australian website Motoring.

If approved for production, the Essentia wouldn't stray far from the concept we saw in 2018. It would arrive as a rear-wheel drive coupe with a head-turning design and a powertrain that's 100% electric. Making it a reality would require developing a platform from scratch, but Genesis could offset the cost by making modular, and using it to build other, more volume-oriented cars down the road.

"I will fight to the very end to have this car into production and have it as you're seeing it right now on the road," affirmed Fitzgerald. If he succeeds, the Essentia will most likely land as an expensive, upmarket limited-edition model; don't expect it to compete in the same segment as the Subaru BRZ.

The company's first electric model will make its debut in 2021, meaning that's when we'll see the Essentia -- assuming it receives the green light for production. Its next new car will be the production version of the GV80 concept from the 2017 New York show. Production will begin before the end of 2019, so it will break cover in the next few months, but it may not arrive in America until 2020.

While the Essentia might reach showrooms, Fitzgerald ruled out building the Mint concept unveiled at the 2019 edition of the New York show, according to Motoring.