Hyundai’s Genesis Essentia EV Concept raises its profile in Cannes

The Genesis Essentia Electric Concept, revealed at the New York Motor Show, puts in an appearance in Cannes as Hyundai’s Genesis looks to raise its profile in Europe.

Last month, at the New York Motor Show, the Genesis Essentia Concept was revealed as Hyundai’s luxury brand gave us a taste of what was to come from a brand which has yet to make any real impact, certainly in the UK and Europe.

It was first mooted that Genesis was going to be a standalone brand to take on the likes of Lexus and Infiniti (and the German Premium makers) back in 2011, but it wasn’t until 2015 that Hyundai officially announced Genesis was going its own way.

Having already climbed the mountain of car credibility with its core brand, Hyundai know it’s going to take more than five minutes to establish a credible premium car brand, and much of that, apart from delivering credible cars, is convincing movers, shakers and high-profile individuals that a Genesis is a cool car to drive.

That probably explains the presence of the Genesis Essentia in Cannes this week (above) as the Genesis Electric GT Concept got its chance to get a bit of fame fairy dust and seek credibility, and it’s all part of a full on rollout in Europe, and particularly the UK, in the next couple of years.

The current Genesis offerings consist of the G70, G80 and G90 saloons, but in the next year or so the GV80 and GV70 SUVs (think BMW X5 and X3) will arrive to tap in to both ‘Premium’ and SUV markets.

That will be followed it seems by an electric G80 and, rumour has it, a full EV production take on the Essentia Concept busy being seen in Cannes this week.

Can Hyundai turn the Genesis Brand in to (at the very least) a credible alternative to Lexus? Don’t bet against it, but it’s not going to be easy.