Genesis is already competing in the Hypercar class at Le Mans, but this concept shows it has wider motorsport ambitions.
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Genesis has been on a roll with its production vehicles (we named the G90 our 2023 MotorTrend Car of the Year), and the Hyundai Motor Group's luxury division has made a deep plunge into the global motorsports arena this season with its GMR-001 Hypercar, which is competing in the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship—including this weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. Now, on the eve of the endurance classic that kicks off Saturday afternoon, the brand has officially unveiled its Genesis Magma GT3 concept, a vehicle based on the Magma GT roadgoing supercar concept it revealed last November.
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The Magma GT3 concept's debut takes place with the famed Circuit de la Sarthe in the background, a venue that hosts international sports car racing's biggest event and makes it an obvious location for this reveal. If you haven't been paying attention until now, the two factory GMR-001s finished 15th and 17th in the Hypercar class during the season-opening round at Italy's Imola circuit after one car suffered a sensor problem and the other took a gamble on strategy.
However, overall, the GMR-001 has shown strong on-track pace for an all-new vehicle and racing program. In the race before Le Mans—the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps—the team brought home respectable finishes of eighth (a points-scoring position ahead of established entries from Cadillac, Toyota, Alpine, Aston Martin, Ferrari, and Peugeot) and 13th place. Of course, there is still plenty of development work ahead for the Hypercar squad and cars to reach the podium, but with the Magma GT and GT3 concepts, Genesis is already looking toward what comes next for its performance and racing portfolios.
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"Genesis has grown faster than any other luxury automotive brand, and we're thrilled to be competing in the world's toughest endurance race where we'll be able to validate our performance under pressure," Hyundai Motor Co. president and CEO José Muñoz said of the company's strategy. "We're bringing lessons from the track to our Magma performance vehicles [like the almost-here GV60 Magma EV] and in how we run the business. … We're focused on delivering exceptional vehicles, technology, and service for our customers."
Refreshed Magma GT Joins Magma GT3
Genesis also brought an updated version of its Magma GT road car concept to Le Mans that differs from the original we saw seven months ago (linked above) thanks to a new interior treatment featuring what the company called "an analog instrument cluster inspired by motor racing timekeeping instruments and complemented by tactile controls that emphasize precision and engagement. The result is a refined yet immersive cabin that reinterprets the modern luxury GT experience—balancing performance, comfort, and craftsmanship."
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The Magma GT road-car concept
When this aluminum-monocoque-construction car will enter production remains uncertain, but it could arrive in 2028 or 2029 and is set to use a 3.2-liter twin-turbo V-8 powertrain similar to and in marketing-speak "derived from" the GMR-001's, which also includes an electrification element and an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. And yes, it will be sold in the U.S. as the Magma division's flagship.
As for what would have to be a production-based (under existing competition rules) GT3 version—this concept was developed alongside Hyundai Motorsport—Genesis said it is for now an "independent study" of what the company could do as part of its long-term racing strategy. Not for nothing, if and when it does hit racetracks, we look forward to it going head-to-head against Toyota's upcoming and also badass-looking GR GT3.
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The Magma GT's updated interior
That said, Genesis stated the car is "one of several possible scenarios, [but] it demonstrates how [the brand] is exploring opportunities beyond LMDh [prototype racing]. Together, the Magma GT and GT3 Concepts illustrate a cohesive approach, where motorsport serves as both inspiration and testing ground for future Genesis performance and design."
Regardless of what the final basis and spec turns out to be, and considering the company's messaging and forward-looking strategy, the smart money is on a Genesis GT3 car arriving on the scene in the coming years.
As Hyundai/Genesis Motorsport team principal Cyril Abiteboul said when asked about the subject at Le Mans, "It's clear that what you see here is our dream. But … we are at the stage of seeing how we can ascertain the business case of both the production car and the racing car."
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