Today is a great day for those who enjoy pretty cars. The new Toyota Prius is a stunner — for my money, the best looking new car on the road by the time it goes on sale next year, a statement I promise I’m making without a hint of irony. I love it that much. Genesis, too, knows how to make good-looking cars, and it’s delivered an update to its gorgeous X Concept and Speedium Shooting Brake, now removing the top.
The Genesis X Convertible will ring in the start of the Los Angeles Auto Show this week, losing the roof to invite the warm California sun in. Unlike previous X design studies which opted for a metallic green, this one is rendered in white with ornate “aero dish” concave wheels.
The X convertible is a two-plus-two — a genre of car that’s faded to near extinction in recent years, especially in the droptop realm. Genesis design chief Luc Donckerwolke says that electrification has “propelled the brand to create vehicles with even greater emotional resonance.” That’s clear to see just by looking at any of the X trio, but cars like these shouldn’t exist to be merely ogled. Genesis has got to commit — it’s got to put something like this into production.
Maybe it will. Until then, we can admire the X Convertible’s simplicity in profile; its creative approach to lighting that extends those LEDs all the way back; and the elegance of its folding roof. This concept looks excellent even with its lid fully closed, a testament to a great design. Inside, the X Convertible pulls inspiration from Korean fashion and architecture. Courtesy of the brand’s press release:
The primary interior color is Giwa Navy—named after “Giwa”, the roof tiles on Korean houses. Made from recyclable wool fabric, the textured, woven pad graphic wraps around the cabin, contrasting with the smooth and sleek leather surfaces of the seats. Meanwhile, Dancheong Orange—named after the traditional decorative colorings on traditional Korean wooden buildings— serves as a bold accent color, encircling the cabin in a two-line motif and featuring on the stitching of the seats and fabric.
The cabin is truly beautiful, with its grid-stitching that runs across almost every surface, including the seats, and its pop of red around the perimeter. Bathed in light without a roof to keep it in the shadows, it takes on a whole new life.
That’s all I really have to say about the X Convertible. Like the coupe, shooting brake and made-for-Gran Turismo racing version before it, it looks essentially perfect. That’s it — no notes. Send the dang thing already, Genesis.
