Genesis has built a reputation for boldness in its relatively short lifetime, and it reinforced that impression this week when it debuted the Magma GT concept, a mid-engine supercar it intends to build and race. That’s right, the Magma GT is not a styling exercise or skunk works project; it sits atop the company’s product roadmap as its future halo car and apex motorsport entrant.
The Magma GT wasn’t the only thing Genesis revealed this week. The supercar was joined onstage by the production version of the GV60 Magma, which will be the performance division’s first official product to go on sale. The 650-horsepower electric crossover is based on the same bones as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and Kia EV6 GT, which have both proven to be standout high-performance machines. The GV60 Magma takes that formula and adds the luxury and finesse that Genesis is known for.
Genesis Is Taking BMW’s Approach To Engine Development For Its New Hypercar
Genesis developing a new racing-derived V-8 could define the brand’s future.
Everything We Know About The Magma GT
When we look at the Magma GT, we see a solid competitor for the Chevrolet C8 Corvette. It’s a mid-engine supercar with similar proportions and Genesis intends to go racing with it in the same waters the Corvette swims. That means GT class racing, though Genesis hasn’t revealed exactly which series in which it would compete. The company already has a racing program called Genesis Magma Racing that’s focused on the GMR-001 Hypercar and will compete in endurance racing, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We suspect the Magma GT will race on the same tracks in a lesser GT class.
As for details and specs, Genesis hasn’t revealed much, including what will power the production version of the Magma GT. Sources and speculation around the web suggest it will be a V-8, again aligning perfectly with the Corvette. Your guess is as good as ours when it comes to the car’s power figures, though we suspect a supercar that looks like this would need to back it up with around 700 horsepower to compete with at least the Corvette Z06 and its 670-hp 5.5-liter V-8.
While Genesis hasn’t shown the interior of the Magma GT concept, it has made a point to emphasize the car will be a luxurious form of performance. While the Corvette is no longer the Dollar Store supercar it once was, there’s definitely room for Genesis to differentiate itself with a more refined and luxurious experience.
As for the car’s exterior design, its mid-engine configuration gives it basic Corvette proportions, but its front is full of Genesis styling cues such as the brand’s iconic parallel headlights, which in this case feature integrated canards. The engine behind the passenger compartment is obscured by a panel, while the taillights and rear light bar echo the parallel lighting from the front end. The rear end is the least Corvette-like component of the Magma GT, looking more like the back end of a Bugatti or McLaren supercar.
Genesis Getting New Twin-Turbocharged V8 Engine… Sort Of
Unfortunately, this exciting new engine will power the GMR-001 racecar, not, say, the G90 luxury sedan.
TopSpeed’s Take
Is there anything Genesis can’t do? This luxury brand was born as a mere Hyundai model and has grown to become a legitimate competitor of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and Lexus (essentially leapfrogging Infiniti and Acura). With its full lineup of luxury cars and SUVs, including many all-electric models, it’s now ready to tackle the cut-throat world of high-performance luxury. It’s doing so with an already critically acclaimed high-performance electric platform and a halo supercar that could make America’s Bowtie brand start sweating.
In a few years’ time, we’ll also see Genesis competing around the world against Corvettes in GT racing with the Magma GT and Cadillac in endurance racing’s Hypercar class with the GMR-001. And to think it all started with the 2009 Hyundai Genesis, which, by the way, was a great value and a good car in the mid-size luxury sedan class. Whoever’s idea it was to take Hyundai upmarket back then should be proud of what it’s become, and what it’s going to do next.