Surprise! This is Genesis’ brand new V8-engined supercar

Well, this was rather unexpected. Genesis – the luxury arm of Hyundai that so far has mostly focused on squishy saloons and chromed SUVs – is set to launch its very own supercar. And it’ll be powered by a twin-turbo V8 engine!

Did we fall asleep and wake up in the 1990s? If so, please leave us in this Golden Era for just a moment.

Nope, we’re back in 2025, but Genesis isn’t joking. At the launch of its Magma performance line at Circuit Paul Ricard, it gave us more detail on the GMR-001 hypercar that it’s building for Le Mans and then whipped the covers off the production-spec GV60 Magma.

But while the latter is essentially a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N in a very orange frock, this surprise supercar - unveiled Steve Jobs-style by design boss Luc Donckerwolke (complete with guttural engine revs and wheelspin) - is completely bespoke. And extremely cool.

The official release says that the Magma GT Concept you see here will be “the halo model guiding Genesis’ long-term performance strategy, including future GT racing ambitions”. However, Donckerwolke later told TG that his intentions are to take Genesis into the realm of customer GT3 racing. Where you need a car. One that has to compete against Ferrari 296s and McLaren Arturas, so it has to be homologated with at least 200 units. And the journey to homologation starts with a concept, which we see here.

Donckerwolke also confirmed that it would use the 3.2-litre twin-turbo V8 that Genesis has created (by sticking two 1.6-litre four-pot Hyundai rally engines together) for its Le Mans Hypercar. However, while that’ll power the race car on its own, the road-going iteration will feature a hybrid system à la Artura and 296, which also strip their electrical assistance to go racing.

Luc has told us he’s not quite finished with the design, but it will retain most of its current look when it reaches production. Which is good news, because it’s an absolute stunner. It’s got scissor doors, swollen rear arches and its engine mounted just behind a ‘boat-tail’ cabin that tapers away to look properly fast. We’re very much enjoying the dive planes integrated into the headlights too. Might be a bit expensive for GT3 racing, that, but let’s hope they stick around for the road car.

“The Magma GT Concept represents the pinnacle of our performance vision and stands as a symbol of our commitment to true motorsport capability,” said Donckerwolke.

“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.

“This is not simply a faster Genesis. It is the most complete expression of Genesis performance to date.”

It’s safe to say we were more than a little bit surprised when Genesis announced its intention to enter Le Mans with a hypercar a couple of years ago, but a road-going supercar and GT3 entry too? Consider us absolutely flabbergasted.