Wild Genesis X Skorpio concept gets 1,100hp V8

We've seen Genesis concepts for the road and track - now the firm is taking to the dunes

By Matt Bird / Wednesday, 28 January 2026 / Loading comments

No carmaker even comes close to Genesis right now when it comes to ambitious concepts. Seemingly everything that leaves the design department is outrageously good, from G90 Wingback to X Convertible. Even the off-road-focused stuff, cars like X Gran Equator, have a certain swagger about them. Now Genesis has upped the ante further with this, the X Skorpio Concept. If there’s a better-looking modern rally-raid racer out there, we’ve not seen it yet.

Genesis says this is ‘purpose-built to conquer harsh terrain with cutting-edge performance and luxurious design, driven by a spirit of fearless exploration.’ Far more than just a ‘Athletic Elegance’ styling exercise (though it is doing that very well), the X Skorpio is a fully functioning carbon, fibreglass and Kevlar extreme off-roader. It’s been revealed in the Middle East, and is intended to appeal exactly to those people who take to the dunes in thousand-horsepower Patrols as we do a B road.

Accordingly, there’s 1,100hp under the bonnet, courtesy of a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, with 850lb ft to ensure you’re never too bogged down in the sand. The 18-inch beadlock wheels sit on 40-inch off-road tyres, behind which are Brembo brakes. Genesis suggests that all the appropriate off-road angles are ‘generous’, with ‘finely tuned’ suspension and the full suite of protective equipment for the chassis. Thus equipped, the Skorpio ‘reveals its full capability, riding up the dunes and surfing on sand with remarkable confidence and control.’ While presumably sounding like the end of the world, too.

Which isn’t really like any Genesis at all, as so many of these concepts are. To reclaim some of the ‘luxury meets off-road functionality’ mantra, the interior is a tad more lavish than might be expected for the average rally-raid cabin. ‘Stepping inside the X Skorpio Concept reveals an interior that redefines luxury in the off-road segment, far surpassing the stripped-down utilitarianism of traditional Trophy Trucks.

Genesis designed the cabin with a singular focus: ensuring driver performance and passenger comfort during the physically demanding challenges of off-road adventures.’ While still pretty bare in there, it’s not often that you see leather in a car of this ilk. Ditto some lovely suede for the knee protection. Cable ties are conspicuous in the Skorpio for their absence. A Genesis rally truck sounds like an impossible contradiction, but the slightly strange reality certainly isn’t without appeal.

Perhaps, too, it points to a future expansion of the motorsport effort. We’re already getting a Genesis Le Mans car, after all, so why not a Genesis Dakar entrant? With front-running cars from makers like Dacia, Ford and Toyota, it’s getting more OEM participation than it has for a while. Genesis probably wouldn’t build anything like a Skorpio in the same way that Dacia won’t build a Sandrider, but that’s not the point - winning epic races like the Dakar is cool. And Genesis, in Europe at least, could definitely do with being a bit more cool.

It’s already on the offensive in fact, showing the Skorpio alongside the weird and wonderful GV60 MIV Concept, a GV70 Outdoors Concept and a GV80 Desert Edition. Apparently this is all with the intention of ‘deepening emotional connections with customers.’ Certainly, 1,100hp V8s will do that. And as all kinds of off-roading, from desert competition to overlanding, appears to grow in popularity, Genesis won’t want to miss out.

“The X Skorpio concept is an extreme off-road vehicle designed to be driven across the toughest and harshest terrain,” said Luc Donckerwolke, Genesis Chief Creative Officer. “With a tubular frame, a full roll cage and many components sourced directly from off-road endurance racing specialists, the X Skorpio Concept explores yet another facet of the Genesis brand and highlights our intent to inject emotion and adrenaline into different segments.” They certainly seem to be doing that alright - let’s hope the Magma range of production models, kicking off soon with the GV60, can achieve the same thing for the road cars…