Genesis has finally stripped the camouflage away from the production version of the GV60 Magma, and when you look past the bright orange paint and executives calling it a “superhero” for the Korean luxury car brand, we’re actually looking at the most important car Genesis has ever built.
The GV60 Magma was unveiled overnight at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France, having been shown in disguise back in October. It is the first road model from Genesis’ new high-performance sub-brand.
While Hyundai’s premium brand touts this as “Luxury High Performance”, let’s get straight to the technical reality: this powerful small electric SUV is the brilliant Hyundai Ioniq 5 N in a tailored tuxedo.
And that is a very, very good thing.
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Confirmed to launch in Australia in early 2026, the first Magma model takes the soft gummy bear design of the standard GV60 and gives it a healthy dose of aggression.
Production specs show it sits 15mm lower than the standard car and features a significantly wider track (around 15-20mm wider front and rear) to accommodate massive 21-inch Flow Formed wheels wrapped in bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber.
The numbers: Ioniq 5 N DNA
We finally have the concrete numbers, and they correspond exactly to our expectations. The GV60 Magma features the same 84kWh battery and dual-motor electric drivetrain as its Hyundai sibling.
- Perfomance: 478 kW (in boost mode)
- Torque: 770 Nm (in boost mode)
- 0-100km/h: 3.4 seconds
- Maximum speed: 260 km/h
For comparison: the stated time from 0 to 100 km/h destroys the official 4.0-second sprint of the current GV60 Performance.
Genesis has also confirmed that the Magma will feature a suite of track-ready software that will be very familiar to anyone who has driven the Ioniq 5 N:
- VGS (Virtual Gear Shifting): That’s Genesis speak for the “N e-Shift” system. It uses the paddle shifters to simulate the jerk, rev limiting and engine braking of an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, complete with a special rev cluster display.
- HPBC (High Performance Brake Control): A newly tuned braking system that combines the enormous regenerative braking capability with the friction brakes, enabling a consistent pedal feel even during intensive use on the racetrack.
- Drift mode: Yes, you can decouple the front motor to send tire-shredding torque exclusively to the rear axle.
Manfred Harrer, the former Porsche engineer and now head of the Genesis Performance Development Tech Unit, calls the car a “technical move.”
“We are proud of our thermal management approach…there are major changes and minor tweaks, but together they add up to this attitude,” Mr Harrer said.
In the cabin
Genesis claims the GV60 Magma is designed primarily as a “GT,” meaning it shouldn’t take the stuff out of you on your daily commute, but the interior differentiation from its Hyundai cousin comes down to added luxury.
The interior features Nappa leather and suede bucket seats with signature Magma Orange stitching and retains the crystal ball gear selector and other premium materials Genesis is known for. The result is a strange but convincing mix: a racetrack-ready weapon that you would actually want to drive to the office with.
Why Genesis needs this to work
This car can’t come soon enough for Genesis Australia.
While the brand has established itself as a legitimate luxury alternative, the sales charts for the current GV60 tell a brutal story. According to the latest VFACTS data, Genesis has sold just 15 examples of the GV60 so far this year – almost 77 percent fewer than the same period last year.
It is the brand’s slowest-selling model in 2025, well behind the best-selling GV70 mid-size SUV (1004 sales) and the GV80 large SUV (237) and even the G70 and G80 sedans.
Launching the Magma sub-brand with the least popular model is a calculated risk by Genesis, which needs a halo car to compete with German rivals like BMW M and Mercedes-AMG because the brand’s standard “luxury” offering isn’t currently moving enough EV metal.
If the GV60 Magma can deliver performance and dynamics on par with the Ioniq 5 N with true luxury refinement, this may be just the reboot the nameplate needs.
MORE: Explore the Genesis GV60 showroom
