Genesis puts its new Magma performance variants on full display
Genesis is continuing to evolve its brand, late March rolling out a quartet of machines which seem to have been poked in the oven and left to broil for a few hours. Just before the 2024 New York International Auto Show, the Genesis House was filled to the gunwales with a new take on sporting luxury — four cars all wearing coats of retina-searing Magma Orange paint.
First up in the automaker's new performance-oriented Magma sub-brand — well, the automaker insists it's not a sub-brand — is the GV80 Coupe Concept, a vehicle first shown this time last year as Genesis's initial foray into the so-called “coupe crossover” segment, an arena in which one will find the BMW X6 and Mercedes-benz GLE Coupe.
Looking ready to hit showrooms, this rig would easily take on those German foes with its expressive fascia designs, prominent black spear along the bottom of its doors, and sticky Pirelli P Zero rubber wrapped around dark five-spoke wheels.
Of major interest to this author is the G80 Magma Special, a fourdoor sedan with the visual chutzpah to mix it up with other sporting entrants in this vanishing segment whose existence is perpetually being threatened by crossovers and SUVS. Long and low, the car would look equally at home slicing up traffic on Toronto's Gardiner or taking in a track day at nearby Mosport.
A peek in the cabin revealed deeply bolstered front seats with plastic anterior sides (as in some BMW M models) plus what are essentially a set of rear buckets. The engine is a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 which makes 375 horsepower in stock G80 trims, but is likely tuned for extra oomph in this application.
Arguably closest to production — or at least that was the notion strongly suggested by Genesis employees — is the GV60 Magma Concept. Using the brand's all-electric crossover as its muse, the concept is wider and lower than a stock GV60, theoretically giving it a lower centre of gravity. Considering it's already slung low thanks to the location of its battery, this thing could offer great handling on the right tires.
Up front, a wider and deeper air intake in the fascia is said to help with cooling duties for the batteries, motor, and brakes. A trio of stamped holes above the main air intake, inspired by flourishes in the GV80 Coupe Concept and the G80 Magma Special, provide additional cooling. Added canards are said to assist in generating downforce on the front axle.
The fenders are wider than other GV60 trims, festooned with integrated outlets to help reduce kinetic energy and improve brake disc cooling. Those titanium-coloured flow-formed 21-inch wheels feature integrated aero discs, sticking out further than the tire side walls for dramatic effect but also for brake-cooling tasks. On the roof, fins have been placed for aero flow and channelling air to that rear wing. Inside, GV60 features like the crystal-ball shifter remain.
Finally, the impossibly low X Gran Berlinetta Concept is a pure flight of fancy — albeit one which looks great in this Magma Orange
Looking ready to hit showrooms, this rig would easily take on those German foes.
hue. The top of its front fenders barely reach this writer's left kneecap, and are complete with integrated air ducts to show off the race-type rubber and also act as aero addenda. This concept has been making the rounds for some time, but places emphasis on its ability to serve as a launching pad for ideas that will eventually make production — like the whole concept of the Magma program itself.
An oddity of the evening's presentation was a repeated assertion by company brass that the Magma program was about creating performance cars which are more about a so-called refined driving experience with power bubbling below the surface, instead of being shout-y and vulgar. We'd argue Magma Orange paint, aggro aero addenda, and enormous wheels are all very extroverted. Whatever the goal, these things are sure to be noticed on the road and in driveways of houses in pricey parts of town.