Hyundai Group has been very clear that it wants to bring cars like the Genesis X Convertible to market. Now CarBuzz has just found a patent for a vehicle firewall that shows how it could happen. Wait, did we say vehicle firewall? This is why our patent investigative team is so good. It turns out, this Hyundai firewall idea would be used for an open-top car with a long hood.
Both of those details scream rear-drive flagship like the Genesis X Convertible concept car. But something smaller and less expensive from Hyundai or Kia isn’t out of the question, either.
Hyundai Is A Stranger To Convertibles
Genesis X Gran Convertible Updated ConceptGenesis
The Hyundai Group brands have never really offered a convertible car. Yes, Kia had the Elan for a few years in the 1990s, but it was just a Lotus built under license. It also had the Sportage with a soft-top to compete with the Suzuki Samurai. But neither one of those met the description of what this patent entails.
In the patent, Hyundai engineers explain the problem. In a convertible car with a long hood, absorbing crash forces is more difficult than a coupe. While a coupe can direct some of the forces up into the pillars and roof and then around to the rear of the chassis, a convertible can’t.
Even worse, forces experienced in a crash can shove interior bits in unfavorable directions, like a lever prying against the dash. That can cause the top of the dash to hinge rearward, which could seriously hurt crash safety. On top of that, a convertible with a floppy dash and windshield feels cheap and unappealing.
We won’t get into every detail of every crease, fold, and rib that help make the new cowl and dashboard design work, but we will cover some of the highlights. They include a strut tower brace that is integrated as part of the structure, not just for stiffer handling purposes. It will also include a dedicated mount for the charging system and battery module, meaning the car (likely a snazzy Genesis) will be an EV or highly electrified, such as a PHEV or an extended-range EV.
But it should be sporty, or at least a grand tourer. That’s clear from the long hood, which marks it as rear-drive or at least rear-biased, from the rearward cabin (for graceful styling), and the double wishbone front suspension as mentioned in the patent.
Could This Be The Speedium Concept Come To Life?
Genesis X Convertible Concept photographed from a high rear 3/4 angle.Genesis
Genesis has been taunting us with cars like this for a while now. First was the Genesis X Convertible concept, based on the X Speedium. This was a large electric grand tourer concept with a folding hardtop and transparent roof.
In 2025, Genesis showed the X Gran Convertible concept, which was even bigger. The Bentley-like model was based on the full-sized G90 sedan, though it was gas-powered instead of electric.
Last year, Genesis COO Luc Donckerwolke said he wanted to make these cars for the company. “After having tried EV coupes and convertibles, we realized that people were not ready yet,” Donckerwolke said. “So we said, ‘Okay, let’s take an existing platform and make a coupe out of it.'” At that time, Donckerwolke said he hoped to let us know soon, but that “you can believe that I will not let that go.”
It was the G90 bones that made the X Gran Convertible feasible, though. This patent suggests something else in the works. Maybe a first convertible for Hyundai, or a new Kia Stinger flagship replacement with two doors and open air.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
2019 Kia Stinger front 3/4 movingKia
We can’t confirm that Genesis or any Hyundai Group brand will build a convertible. But this patent confirms that someone in the company is spending a lot of time and money thinking about one. That’s as close to a guarantee as you’ll get ahead of an actual reveal.
A convertible could help elevate Genesis in the stratum of luxury brands. A G90-sized one could put it toe to toe with the Bentley Continental GTC, and even a step above the Mercedes-Benz SL. A smaller one like this, though, could send it after more attainable models like the CLE convertible, or even serve as a new Hyundai N flagship. Ioniq convertible, anyone?
Patent filings do not guarantee the use of such technology in future vehicles and are often used exclusively as a means of protecting intellectual property. Such a filing cannot be construed as confirmation of production intent.
Source: US Patent & Trademark Office
