Page 68 - BFM F/W 2024

THE RAW AMBITION OF KOREAN LUXURY BRAND GENESIS KNOWS flat, cushy seats. Sporty driving requires stiff springs, hard bucket seats with
no bounds. First, the company disrupted the luxury car market. Next, it shouldered its way into the booming posh SUV space and launched some stellar EVs. The awards flooded in from critics, glossy car maga- zines, and big-shot industry analysts. Not content to rest on its laurels, however, earlier this year, Genesis set its sights on the very heart of the German high-performance market with a new sub-brand dubbed Magma.
At long last, drivers may have an alternative to the long-standing oligopoly of BMW M, Audi RS, and Mercedes-AMG.
“Genesis Magma presents an exciting opportunity to push the boundaries of performance and luxury for new interpretations in high-performance vehicles, with the ultimate goal of developing models
exclusive to Genesis,” says Luc Donckerwolke, chief creative officer of Genesis. The brand’s first vehicle to hit production will be the Genesis GV60 Magma. Sales will begin next year in Korea with other markets to follow. Reading between the lines, we’re hoping that means the GV60 Magma will land in
Canada sometime in 2025.
When it does hit showrooms, expect the all-electric fastback SUV to look
almost exactly like the GV60 Magma concept unveiled earlier this year; the company has already confirmed as much. Since the GV60 is underpinned by the same EV platform as its corporate cousin, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, it’s safe to expect the GV60 Magma will have at least as much oomph as the high-performance Ioniq 5 N. That means we’re expecting at least 641 horsepower, two electric motors, and tail-happy all-wheel-drive handling. It’ll be difficult to top the Ioniq 5 N — an absolute rascal of an EV that landed on everyone’s short list for “sports car of the year” in 2023 — but we can’t wait to see what Genesis comes up with next.
“While speed and performance are important,” continues Donckerwolke, “the Genesis Magma program will look beyond, prioritizing the driving experience to kindle the joy of sporty driving with effortless comfort.”
Combining the joy of driving — prioritizing the experience, rather than focusing on sheer speed and performance — with “effortless comfort” is certainly a tempting proposition. It’s a unique proposition too, one that no other brand has been able to offer (at least not successfully).
Part of the problem, and the reason Donckerwolke’s claim is so intriguing, is that those two things — the joy of sporty driving and comfort — are diametrically opposed. Comfort requires soft springs, a cloud-like ride and wide,
bolsters that squeeze occupants, and a ride that jostles passengers on crummy roads. Yes, new technologies such as hydraulically interlinked suspension, 48-volt active dampers, and anti-roll bars — as well as high-speed computing — are slowly closing the gap between sporty and comfortable cars, but there’s still a long, long way to go.
Thus far, all Genesis has officially confirmed on the technical front is that, “Magma models will exhibit a wider and lower body design, paired with exclusive chassis and suspension components.” The company has also promised each Magma model will share three fundamental attributes: unspoken dominance, a design that emanates dynamic energy and power; captivating control, a feeling of ample power and precise vehicle dynamics control to seamlessly blend accuracy and comfort under any driving condition; and sharpened immersion, an engaging sensory experience including luxurious materials and exclusive sounds.
In other words, well, that’s a lot of vagueness. It all sounds good, but it remains to be seen what kind of technological wizardry Magma has in store to bring those two opposites — sporty driving and comfort — together. Early demonstrations, however, have got our hopes up.
This past summer, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on the rolling lawns of West Sussex, England, the GV60 Magma concept turned its wheels in public for the first time. Not only did the searing orange SUV look spectacular flying up the hill-climb course, but it took home a remarkable victory in the four-seater production car category, and achieved an impressive 16th place overall in the weekend’s timed shootout.
“Driving the GV60 Magma concept at Goodwood was a rewarding experience,” said its driver Gethin Jones, a well-regarded race car and rally pilot. “The car’s responsiveness and power were impressive throughout the event, and its ability to handle the hill-climb with such precision is a testament to the engineering excellence behind it,” he added.
Some other big names are already attached to the Magma project, including none other than racing legend Jacky Ickx, who was appointed as a Genesis Brand Partner in February. The former F1 driver, six-time Le Mans winner, and champion of the 1983 Paris–Dakar rally was quoted saying he looks forward to lending his expertise to the Magma program.
Even at this early stage, it’s clear the Magma program is the most ambitious gambit yet from Genesis, but given all the brand has already accomplished, only a fool would doubt its ability to follow through.
68 BFM / FW24 AUTO / LIQUID HOT MAGMA