Genesis pulled the wraps off a full-scale model of the all-new X Gran Berlinetta Vision Gran Turismo (VGT) Concept at the Gran Turismo World Series World Finals in Barcelona, Spain. It was created as part of Polyphony Digital’s Vision Gran Turismo project (explained towards the end) and will be available to race in the game from January 2024.
Based on the Korean carmaker’s ‘Athletic Elegance’ design philosophy, the X Gran Berlinetta VGT Concept features a very low-slung look with short overhangs. It even draws upon Genesis’ ‘cab backwards’ approach, maximising the dash-to-axle ratio with a long bonnet stretching ahead of the cockpit that’s set very much towards the back of the car.
The concept even sports Genesis’ signature front fascia elements, like the crest grille and quad headlamps. The overall design follows a very aerodynamic approach, with smooth-flowing fender bulges. As a result, Genesis has been able to achieve a drag coefficient of just 0.34. According to Genesis, the Magma exterior colour references ‘volcanic energy.’
Inside, the driver is greeted by a ‘digital panoramic interface’ to access all the information, which is linked to a surround digital monitoring system. There’s also a steer-by-wire yoke-style wheel with two rotary controls for vehicle settings.
The X Gran Berlinetta VGT Concept is powered by a hybrid powertrain consisting of a front-mid-mounted Lambda 11 V6 engine and Genesis’ Yasa e-motor-equipped e-SC electric system. The total output stands at 1,071HP and about 1,336Nm of torque.
Vision Gran Turismo
The Vision Gran Turismo program, or VGT, represents a series of concept cars created by some of the top automakers from across the world for the Gran Turismo video game. It was started when Gran Turismo founder Kazunori Yamauchi thought to invite manufacturers to design their ideal Grand Tourer (GT) for the game. As a result, in 2013, Polyphony Digital announced VGT to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the game. The first VGT car was released on 20th November 2013 by Mercedes-Benz, dubbed the ‘Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo.’