Genesis says its new “Neolun” concept represents the future of the brand. For something that must survive tomorrow’s auto market, then, it’s no surprise that the Neolun is big, opulent and electric.
The big, square SUV feels like a mashup between a Kia EV9, a Mercedes EQS SUV and a Rivian R1S, in part because any production version will chase those same buyers. Our man on the ground, editor-in-chief Patrick George, says it’s bigger than any of those, though. That’d be a move even further upmarket for Genesis. The large SUV section is a prime target of electrification, with big names like the Cadillac Escalade IQ and GMC Hummer SUV already staking claims. Genesis just entered the picture at the twilight of the internal combustion luxury market. It’s no surprise the company wants a piece of the highly profitable large SUV segment in the electric era.
The design is also a clear departure from the brand’s initial slate of internal- combustion designs. Those were more hard-edged, with simple but angular character lines. The Neolun—with a name that comes from the Korean phrase for “new moon”—has softer edges. It still has clear lines definining angular elements, but the fundamental shape looks like putty, not metal.
It also has all of the traditional trappings of a concept car, most of which don’t usually make production: Coach doors, seats that rotate to face backwards, giant wheels, sleek headlights that probably don’t meet federal requirements, tiny mirrors and a crazy swoopy center console setup. Some of those things could still reach production, but they’ve been shown off in every concept car for a decade so I’m not getting my hopes up.
Yet I do have high hopes for a production Neolun. A 7000-lb SUV will never be the sustainable everyman transportation we need, but compelling luxury products help convince more buyers that electric propulsion is even better than gas. We’ll have to wait for Genesis to announce a production-ready version of this, but I bet the electric full-sizer will be a hit for the young brand.
