Hyundai has pulled the covers off the HCD-16 Vision G concept ahead of the car’s global debut this weekend at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Monterey, California. The Korean company says the concept is the inspiration for future luxury models.

Hyundai boss Peter Schreyer says the car’s design was led by Hyundai’s U.S. team, and that the design is an illustration of the Hyundai credo that sharp design and performance don’t have to go hand-in-hand with “over-the-top glitz and stereotypical design cues.” And yet, the car has a Bentley/Rolls Royce look to its high beltline and chopped greenhouse that suggests Hyundai is set to chase after even more prestigious competitors than to which its current Genesis sedan aspires. Though Hyundai hasn’t shown us the car’s tail, the front three-quarter view shows a hint of Audi where the roofline terminates over the rear wheel arch. And let’s not ignore the not-so-subtle Aston Martin resemblance in the Vision G’s front fascia. If those cues are intentional, they exist to speak “to the owner rather than the spectators who might see the car on the road,” said Christopher Chapman, the head of Hyundai’s U.S. design centre.

Hyundai says the car is powered by the 5.0L “Tau” V8 used in the Genesis sedan, a motor that makes 420 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque. Sharp eyes will have already spotted the winged Genesis badge on the concept’s hood; that, plus the Tau engine and Vision G moniker make the strong suggestion that this concept will become a two-door Genesis, and that the Genesis Coupe sports car is on its way toward a redesign and new name. Given the relative lack of outlandish concept-car cues, we’d guess the Vision G isn’t far from becoming a reality, and we’d be okay with that. If a production model based on this concept does make it to showrooms, expect it to share the Genesis sedan’s all-wheel drive system and eight-speed automatic transmission.

The Vision G gets its official reveal at Pebble Beach on Sunday, August 16.

Vision G Coupe Concept

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