- The X Skorpio Concept sits on 18-inch beadlock wheels.
- Genesis installs massive 40-inch off-road tires.
- A V8 engine pumps out 1,100 horsepower.
It’s official: Genesis makes the coolest cars you can’t buy. The X Scorpio is the latest in a string of fascinating one-offs from Hyundai’s luxury division. The Koreans appear dead set on taking the torch from Cadillac, which once had a long run of immensely appealing concepts that never made it to production.
The X Scorpio follows the G90 Wingback super wagon but cranks the insanity up a notch. It’s billed as an off-road supercar, even more outlandish than a Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato. The concept is unlike anything Genesis has ever built; granted, the brand has only existed for a little over a decade since spinning off as a standalone marque.
This high-riding coupe aims to conquer the dunes with 18-inch beadlock wheels wrapped in meaty 40-inch off-road tires. Genesis says the X Scorpio was developed with the Middle East’s high-end lifestyle in mind, which explains the extreme off-road focus and towering ground clearance. Even the interior is wild, featuring a sliding display, a four-point harness system, and a roll cage.
Photo by: Genesis
At the heart of the X Scorpio is a V8 producing 1,100 horsepower and a staggering 850 pound-feet (1,152 Newton-meters) of torque. While numbers like these are typically associated with hybrid performance cars, there’s no electrical assistance here. The combustion engine does all the work, just like in the old days.
The eight-cylinder engine displaces 6.7 liters and is presumably turbocharged or supercharged to unlock that level of torque. It appears to be a different V8 than the one developed for the Magma supercar, which uses a 3.2-liter unit mounted behind the driver. Stopping power comes from Brembo racing brakes at both axles.
The X Scorpio isn’t Genesis’ first off-road-leaning concept. Less than a year ago, the X Gran Equator appeared seemingly out of nowhere as a potential electric rival to the Mercedes G-Class. That go-anywhere SUV could reach production, according to Hyundai Motor Group President and CEO José Muñoz. It’s far too early to say whether this two-door contraption stands any chance of receiving the green light.
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Source: Genesis
Motor1’s Take: It’s refreshing to see a car company think outside the box and develop something truly different. Still, the X Scorpio remains a concept, so unless Genesis decides to build it, this is little more than an elaborate tease.
Its sheer radicalism suggests a production version would be extremely expensive to develop and priced well out of reach for most buyers. Even so, at least it gives us some excellent new wallpaper material for our computers and smartphones.
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