Photo: Newspress USA
Genesis is slowly but surely painting a picture of a future where premium and electric cannot be separated. After impressing us during the last New York Auto show with the sporty Essentia concept, today it presented the totally unexpected Mint, an elegant two-seat urban vehicle that looks like it would be fun too.
The Mint makes you wonder if Genesis didn't fire all its car designers and replaced them with the Apple iPad team. It lacks many of the features you take for granted in a car, which makes as refreshing as a... that's a bad joke.
For example, the front end has no grille, only a shield-like crease below the wrap-around headlights. What do those things even do? We've seen plenty of concepts with flush door handles or no mirrors, but the Mint also lacks a trunk. Instead, the cargo area behind its seats is accessed via scissor openings that double as the fenders. This reminds us of the era where small European cars didn't actually have practical hatchback openings.
The back copies the headlight and shield motif from, also boasting a backlit Genesis logo and a charging port right in the middle of the deck. You can't miss it!
Before we move on to the interior, we want to draw your attention to the general proportions. The Mint has nearly zero overhangs and its total height is less than twice that of the wheel, so it's intrinsically sporty.
The dashboard redefines minimalism. It's simply a cream-colored leather canvas with a few silver elements, a rectangular steering wheel and, confusingly, three pedals. One has to be a footrest, as manual gearboxes and EVs don't match. Genesis didn't provide us with performance numbers but did say the Mint lasts 200 miles between charging. Could this be what the Audi TT segment turns into?
For example, the front end has no grille, only a shield-like crease below the wrap-around headlights. What do those things even do? We've seen plenty of concepts with flush door handles or no mirrors, but the Mint also lacks a trunk. Instead, the cargo area behind its seats is accessed via scissor openings that double as the fenders. This reminds us of the era where small European cars didn't actually have practical hatchback openings.
The back copies the headlight and shield motif from, also boasting a backlit Genesis logo and a charging port right in the middle of the deck. You can't miss it!
Before we move on to the interior, we want to draw your attention to the general proportions. The Mint has nearly zero overhangs and its total height is less than twice that of the wheel, so it's intrinsically sporty.
The dashboard redefines minimalism. It's simply a cream-colored leather canvas with a few silver elements, a rectangular steering wheel and, confusingly, three pedals. One has to be a footrest, as manual gearboxes and EVs don't match. Genesis didn't provide us with performance numbers but did say the Mint lasts 200 miles between charging. Could this be what the Audi TT segment turns into?
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