How Genesis plans to take on the world's best supercars
An unexpected brand is planning to challenge the world’s best with a machine that could reshape the motoring landscape forever.
The Clark Kent of cars wants to take off its glasses and tie and become the new Superman.
But instead of Superman’s traditional blue and red suit, Genesis wants to make Magma orange its signature colour.
The Hyundai-owned luxury brand has revealed plans to reshape its image over the next decade, using a new range of high performance cars and an all-new motor racing program.
The all-new Genesis GT Concept was revealed in France this week, a mid-engine sports car designed to take on the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren and other high-end exotics both on the road and the racetrack.
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It will be the hero model of its new Magma performance sub-brand, an equivalent to Mercedes’ AMG and BMW’s M Division, as well as the basis for a new GT3 racing car that will be sold to professional and amateur racers, under the new Genesis Magma Racing banner.
“Magma is always the best of the best of Genesis models,” said Genesis’ Chief Creative Officer, Luc Donkerwolke.
“It’s the superhero of Genesis; a bionic cocktail between the values of the original model, the donor vehicle and this extra facet.”
Donkerwolke is no stranger to the ultra-high end of the market, having been responsible for some of Lamborghini and Bentley’s most memorable models during his career as a designer.
While he was tight-lipped on any technical specifications for the GT Concept, Donkwerwolke was not shy about his aspirations for the new model.
“The Magma GT doesn’t ask the driver to prove their skill; it enhances it. This is not simply a faster Genesis. It is the most complete expression of Genesis performance to date,” he said, raising the stakes even higher.
“The Magma GT Concept represents the pinnacle of our performance vision and stands as a symbol of our commitment to true motorsport capability,” he added.
“It isn’t defined by raw aggression or uncompromising speed - it is defined by balance. This is a car that feels instinctively connected to its driver, composed under pressure, and meticulously tuned so that every component serves a single purpose to make performance effortless.”
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It’s all part of a broader plan to grow Genesis into a true luxury powerhouse that can not only rival the likes of Mercedes-Benz and BMW with conventional cars, but also push into both the performance and bespoke luxury vehicles that is dominated by the likes of Porsche, Bentley and Ferrari.
The reveal of GT Concept coincided with the official launch of the new GV60 Magma, the first production car for the new performance brand.
This all-electric small SUV is due to arrive in Australia in 2026, packing a 448kW/740Nm dual-motor powertrain that allows it to accelerate from 0-100km/h in a sports car-like 3.4 seconds and hit a top speed of more than 260km/h.
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“ It’s a defining moment for Genesis, not just for one model, but for the future of our brand,” said Hyundai and Genesis global CEO, Jose Munoz. “The GV60 Magma is where Genesis performance begins, its next chapter. It represents the transition of Genesis from an ‘agile luxury’ brand into a luxury high-performance brand.”
Munoz is confident that this transition will allow the brand to continue its steady growth, which has seen it reach one million vehicles sold around the world less than eight years after it began.
“Genesis achieved one million global sales faster than any luxury marque in history,” he said. “Magma represents our declaration that the next 10 years will be even more significant. We’re not just building high-performance vehicles; we’re redefining what a luxury high performance brand can be when Korean innovation meets global ambition.”
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