Genesis has officially signaled the beginning of its next decade, positioning "luxury high-performance" at the core of its brand expansion. At the 2026 Busan Mobility Show press conference held at BEXCO, the brand hosted the Asian debuts of the Genesis Magma GT Concept and the full-scale GMR-001 Hypercar design model.
The conference featured key presentations from Luc Donckerwolke, President and Chief Creative Officer (CCO)/Chief Design Officer (CDO) of Hyundai Motor Group; Sean Lee, Head of the Genesis Business Division; and André Lotterer, official driver for Genesis Magma Racing.
"Genesis is not resting on the achievements of the past decade; instead, we have pushed into the new territory of endurance racing," said Luc Donckerwolke. "The future of Genesis will move toward a precise balance between luxury and high performance."
The Genesis Magma GT Concept
Making its first appearance in Asia, the Magma GT Concept represents the pinnacle of the brand’s luxury performance segment. First revealed in November last year at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France, the concept builds on the brand’s "Athletic Elegance" design philosophy.
The vehicle integrates grand tourer (GT) racing elements, characterized by a low front fascia, widened fenders, and a dynamic midship-inspired proportion. The silhouette features a distinct boat-tail rear design—where the body narrows toward the back—optimizing aerodynamic performance while maintaining an imposing stance.
Inside, the Magma GT Concept utilizes a driver-centric, dual-cockpit layout that blends analog and digital interfaces. The analog instrument cluster draws inspiration from precise mechanical chronographs used in motorsport, incorporating physical control elements designed to maximize tactile engagement. Digital information is integrated subtly to minimize driver distraction while ensuring immediate data readability.
The GMR-001 Hypercar Design Model
Genesis also displayed a full-scale design model of the GMR-001 Hypercar, the foundation of the vehicle currently competing in its inaugural season of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
The base model was initially unveiled in April 2025 at Genesis House New York. The physical model shown in Busan features the exclusive livery developed for the recent 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The exterior styling incorporates distinct elements of South Korean identity. The front fascia displays the Taegeukgi (South Korean national flag), while the name "Magma" is inscribed in Hangul across key sections of the bodywork. The color scheme transitions from a bright orange at the front to a deep, intense red at the rear to visually convey acceleration and thermal energy. Furthermore, the signature Genesis two-line design extends from the front to the flanks, defining the car's aerodynamic contours.
Global Motorsport Developments and Customer Integration
Following the official announcement of its motorsport entry in December 2024, Genesis made its competitive debut at the 2026 WEC season opener, the 6 Hours of Imola, in April. The team secured its first championship points the following month at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, and recently completed the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the #19 GMR-001 Hypercar successfully crossed the finish line.
To connect these racing milestones to the domestic market, two-time Le Mans winner André Lotterer attended the Busan conference to share insights on the WEC campaign and future development plans.
"The endurance racing program is a journey to redefine the driving experience and Athletic Elegance," Lotterer stated. "The data and engineering insights gathered from demanding races like Le Mans will directly influence the future Genesis production road cars that customers drive every day."
To emphasize this connection, the exhibition space includes a dedicated "Genesis Magma Racing Zone." This customer experience area features:
WEC Introduction Zone: An overview of endurance racing regulations and championships.
GMR Team Zone: Detailed profiles of the team structure and factory drivers.
GMR-001 Sim Racing Zone: Simulators allowing visitors to experience the driving dynamics of the hypercar alongside times set by the official esports team.
Owners Lounge: A hospitality space modeled after a motorsport paddock club.
GMR Pit Wall: An interactive setup to listen to live team radio and view critical race footage.
GMR Shop: A dedicated retail area for official team merchandise.
The racing pavilion transitions directly into the main "Magma Zone," which showcases the production-intent GV60 Magma, allowing visitors to experience its performance acoustics and view specialized performance parts.
Comments
1 commentsGenesis needs to do more to make Magma a standout performance sub brand. The GV60 Magma is ridiculously overpriced and essentially just an Ioniq 5N or EV6 GT in a slightly different package. Why not reserve the most high output for the most expensive model? Could they not fiddle with the motors a little and extract even 9HP to get an even 650? It needs more energy dense cells for a larger capacity. In the face of the iX3, a 77-84kWh pack is not going to cut it. Next generation Genesis EVs will all need to have 105-155kWh packs depending on class. The new iX5’s 144kWh is incredibly large, but it returns almost 450 miles of range. Hopefully if there is a GV80 EV it will be competitive and not just a badge engineered Ioniq 9 or EV9. Same is true for the upcoming GV90. It better have substantially greater charging performance and energy dense cells to be relevant. On the ICE Side, I wish Genesis was able to develop motors that Hyundai didn’t use. The 3.3/3.5TT V6s are not the least bit competitive with BMW B58, Mercedes M256 or Audi/Porsche EA839. All of the German engines deliver much better performance, refinement, and fuel efficiency. An M340i xDrive gets better fuel economy than a G70 2.5T RWD, despite running to 60mph nearly 2 seconds faster and having 2 extra cylinders and permanent AWD. The 3.5T e-SC motor is not a flagship worthy engine for the GV80 or G90. They need an inline-6 or a V8 that’s a clean sheet design and engineered to last, put out incredible performance and be super efficient. They also need a better transmission. Either just license the ZF 8HP or launch a new 8/9/10 speed transmission that is truly on par with the best from Germany. The current ancient transmission sucks. It’s clunky, slow shifting, and absolutely massive. It hasn’t been developed to enable PHEV or even mild hybrid assistance. It cannot handle the incredibly high torque of the ZF either.