Genesis, a new brand well-known for making some of the best bang-for-buck luxury cars on the market, is now swinging for the big leagues. If there’s one thing they don’t yet have that their German rivals feature, is a downright mad skunkworks division, which is a gap in the Genesis line-up that’ll soon be fixed. Magma is now Genesis’ new high-performance sub-brand, akin to what AMG means for Mercedes, M for BMW, or RS for Audi. It was originally announced back in March 2024 during the New York International Auto Show, but it was only recently that we finally got a good look at the actual cars that’ll drive Magma forward.
As such, I was invited by the kind folks at Genesis to the Nürburgring for the unveiling of this new and exciting chapter for Genesis. Alas, most of the cars that they showed off were concept cars, and they’re certainly not 100% production-ready. However, at least for some of these models, the final production version may look quite similar to these early concepts, so don’t count them out just yet. At the very least, even if they are just concept cars, it does preview an interesting future that Genesis is heading into. How will Genesis compete against its more established rivals when it comes to building the best luxury-performance cars?
One thing I immediately noticed that is similar between these Magma concept cars isn’t just the racy, hot-rod design, but also the vibrant orange paintwork. This is going to be the new colourway for Genesis’ Magma sporty, performance sub-brand. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but personally, I do quite like this orange colour, and how it complements the design of these Magma concept cars. They’re pretty cool-looking machines, and a much-needed relief from the sea of black, white, silver, and grey cars on the market. Suffice it to say, Magma’s launch is pivotal for Genesis, and things are looking good with this range.
A New, Exciting Chapter For Genesis
Nonetheless, regardless of whether or not you like bright orange, the folks at Genesis gave me and some other journos a presentation on what these cars are and what they meant for the brand, including their chief designer. As you can imagine, branching off into making performance cars is a huge gamble for any carmaker, let alone a somewhat younger and untested brand like Genesis. From what they told us, it wasn’t easy getting here, either.
There was a huge amount of research and development that had to go into designing and aerodynamically-optimising bodywork, as well as further sharpening and fine-tuning the chassis, suspension, powertrain, and drivetrain, respectively. All this work goes into ensuring that these Magma-branded cars drive like proper performance cars. In other words, Genesis is very much keen to neutralise the stigma that a Genesis is basically just a Hyundai or Kia with a nicer interior and more leather.
Nope, what you’re looking at here is years of hard work to make appealing performance cars that look and drive the part. Much of the development for these new and upcoming Magma cars, particularly around the dynamics and handling for each vehicle, was helmed by HMETC (aka Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center) in Germany, and their Namyang R&D centre back in South Korea. Genesis is equally interested in making sure these cars are calibrated and tuned to work properly on European roads, and crucially for me, here in the UK, with our bumpy roads.
Genesis GV60 Magma Concept
This is the first of 4 cars that really caught my eye, because it looks like it’s something we’ll probably see on public roads sometime soon. The Genesis GV60 is an electric crossover, now made even spicier thanks to that Magma treatment. Since its makeover, it features an aggressive rear wing, in addition to fins on the roof that help to channel more air to that rear wing. This ought to help generate some extra downforce, though one wonders how much downforce a hot crossover really needs, eh? Aside from that, the GV60 Magma Concept has a lower ride height, and with its wide stance, it should ensure greater stability when you’re driving fast.
Elsewhere, you’ll notice the aero wheels (at the front, at least), and a lot of other aerodynamic parts, including canards on the front, and a huge rear diffuser. There’s extra venting throughout the car, which pulls double-duty to help with cooling, as well as maximising aerodynamics. The most notable of these vents is likely the three portholes above the front grille and main intake. Meanwhile, that aforementioned primary intake at the front has been made wider and lower, housed within the front bumper. Another design element that I like are those widebody fenders, just as the wheelhouse outlets are more integrated with the rest of the bodywork.
These should allow more airflow to pass through and cool the brakes. They look especially cool with those flow-formed 21-inch wheels. One other familial design trait that carries onto the other Magma cars we’ll look at in a bit is the use of blacked-out exterior trim and accents, contrasting against the vibrant orange paint job. Once you step inside, you’ll notice even more of that orange piping and stitching, atop the leather bucket seats. Now, I mentioned earlier that some of these Genesis Magma concept cars are going to head into production. Well, hallelujah, because this GV60 Magma Concept is going to be one of them, so keep an eye out for it.
Genesis G80 EV Magma Concept
Just like the GV60, the G80 is another vehicle that currently exists in the Genesis line-up. It’s a full-size saloon, but one that’s a lot more exciting, courtesy of a Magma makeover. Granted, to my eyes, the G80 EV Magma Concept looks like the most tame of the bunch here, particularly when it comes to the visual treatment. Aside from the lurid orange paint, it has a pretty cool-looking wheel design, but the closer you look, the more of the differences that you’ll notice between this and a non-Magma G80 saloon. There’s a lot of (subtle) aero on this car, and most prominently, that gigantic rear ducktail spoiler on the boot.
Other than that, Genesis has seen fit to give the G80 EV Magma Concept a large rear diffuser, and additional venting elsewhere. I also like the gentle application of carbon fibre on all these Magma cars, including on this G80, just a tasteful amount of it. Technically, Genesis gave two G80s that Magma treatment, an EV and the accompanying petrol model. Although, one of them, the Genesis G80 Magma Special, will be a limited edition model that’ll be sold exclusively in the Middle East. One unfortunate fact that I couldn’t get over during the press event was the lack of any performance details and specifications, but for now, looks will do.
Genesis GV80 Coupe Concept
The GV80 is currently Genesis’ largest SUV model, and it’s the taller-riding sibling to the aforementioned G80 saloon. The production GV80 is one of the best full-size luxury SUVs money can buy, and it offers you all the nice-to-haves and creature comforts you’d really need in a premium vehicle. This time around, unlike the boxy, road-going GV80, the Magma GV80 Coupe Concept has a sloping coupe-like roofline. It looks pretty gangster and sporty, especially on those mammoth 23-inch alloy wheels.
As with the other Magma concept cars that I toured and walked around, the GV80 Coupe Concept equally has a really aggressive aero. Yet, I did wonder just how much rear headroom and cargo space that sloping roofline has sacrificed in the name of styling, but only time will tell. Assuming this ever goes into production, I’m more than keen to give it a quick test drive. Design-wise, the GV80 Coupe Concept still has that distinct Genesis split lighting signature front and rear. And, as we saw on the G80 saloon (though that one was finished in carbon), I’m a fan of that black lower bodyline and trim, which helps a bit to split up this bright orange paint.
Genesis X Gran Berlinetta Concept
Finally, we get to the Genesis X Gran Berlinetta Concept, which is by far the best-looking car among these new Magma concept vehicles, and that’s saying something. This is actually a car that was originally made for Gran Turismo 7, as part of the game’s Vision Gran Turismo series of concept race cars. It’s super low, long, and wide, reminiscent of old-school European grand tourers. For added theatre, it even features scissor doors, a canopy-style cabin for two, and gigantic centre-lock wheels that push the side buttresses and wheel arches all the way out. It’s ridiculously elegant, pretty, and athletic, all at once.
As is the case with any Genesis car, a familiar lighting signature is imbued with the X Gran Berlinetta Concept’s headlights and taillights, wrapping around this gorgeous bodywork. This entire thing is pretty much a priceless piece of sculpture, and in person, it’s a beauty to behold. Sadly, though, among those other Magma cars shown here, this one seems like the least likely one to be put into production. It’s hard to describe just how extreme its design is, and I reckon engineering this thing to make it work outside of a video game might be nigh impossible without a blank cheque.
What Does This Mean For Genesis?
Ultimately, at the end of the day, this press event wasn’t just to show off some cool concept cars that Genesis was working on. Crucially, it was to bring attention to their new Magma performance sub-brand, in the same way Hyundai made a huge splash when they unveiled their own N skunkworks division. I definitely think they’re starting off really strong, personally. Of course, it remains to be seen just how successful they’ll be, particularly with strong competition around the globe from (arguably) more established luxury marques, like BMW, Audi, Mercedes, as well as Jaguar, Lexus, and so on.
When looking at Genesis’ Magma sub-brand side-by-side with the existing status quo, their design is certainly quite unique. More importantly, I think, the brashness of these Magma concept cars project to the world that Genesis is more than eager to evolve beyond just being another luxury brand. With the birth of Magma, they now have it in them to create world-class performance cars, too. From what we know so far, Genesis is now planning way more Magma cars in the future. In fact, they’re aiming to have one Magma high-performance variant or trim level for every single production model in their line-up. So, let’s see what they’ll come up with next.
