It was built for sand, jumps and almost absurd speeds in the desert. But now the Genesis X Skorpio has made its first public appearance on a European road. The 1100-hp concept took part in the Tutto Bene Hillclimb on Mount Mottarone in Italy, with Genesis Magma Racing driver André Lotterer behind the wheel. Videos from the event settle the biggest question once and for all: this is not a static show car, but a fully drivable machine.
For the X Skorpio, it is almost like changing planets. In January, Genesis unveiled the vehicle among the dunes of the Rub' al Khali desert in the UAE, stressing its focus on high-speed off-road driving. Under the body sits a 1100-hp V8, along with 18-inch beadlock wheels wrapped in 40-inch off-road tires, Brembo Motorsport brakes and a tubular frame. The body panels themselves are made from carbon fiber, Kevlar and fiberglass.
But the most interesting part came after the premiere. The X Skorpio unexpectedly stopped being just a design exercise. Genesis chief designer Luc Donckerwolke previously told Car and Driver that the company received several orders almost immediately after the reveal. Production will be extremely limited, the vehicles are intended primarily for the Middle East, and they will not be approved for public-road use.
There is another sign that Genesis is taking the project seriously. In July, the X Skorpio and Magma GT received a Red Dot Design Award 2026 in the concept-car category. Now the extreme off-roader has traded Arabian dunes for a European road on Mottarone. And while Tutto Bene is not a timed race, this run mattered far more than seconds on a stopwatch: Genesis showed that its wild desert concept can make an impression far beyond the sand.
