The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) has awarded its Gold International Design Excellence Award (IDEA) for Automotive and Transportation to the Genesis Essentia Concept, marking the Genesis brand’s first “best of the best” award for vehicle design.
The IDEA award has been recognizing outstanding designs in various industries since 1980, with the automotive and transportation award evaluating a vehicle’s design based on criteria such as design innovation, user benefits and social responsibility.
“We are extremely proud to be recognized by IDSA with the Essentia Concept which shows the Genesis brand’s vision and future,” said Luc Donckerwolke, Genesis’s Executive Vice President and Chief Design Officer. “For a new brand, each design element becomes part of the legacy for the brand, so our goal is to design a car as well as connect it with Genesis DNA.”
The Essentia Concept was unveiled to the world at the 2018 New York International Auto Show as the Genesis brand’s first electric Gran Turismo (GT) concept, showcasing the brand’s “Athletic Elegance” design paradigm, while providing a vision of future Genesis product performance and technology.
The battery-electric Essentia Concept features an elegant look with a simple, clear and sleek exterior and a custom-tailored interior that focusses on maximizing the connection between driver and machine, and the overall adornment was reduced to provide a futuristic impression with restraint.
“We aim to show Genesis brand DNA through designing to reshape the landscape of the existing luxury car design,” said Sang Yup Lee, Senior Vice President and Head of the Global Genesis Design Center. “This is the foundation of our design philosophy, ‘Athletic Elegance.’”