The Genesis Magma GT supercar has received an update before it has even arrived

At one point, Genesis, along with the rest of the Hyundai Group, had pivoted heavily towards EVs, but last year it unveiled a brand-new mid-engined supercar to support a future GT racing programme. At this year's Le Mans 24 Hours, it revealed a development of that same concept, and it could reach showrooms before the end of the decade. We've had a first look.

Called the Magma GT, the new model is still a concept even in this latest form, but there’s a real possibility of it becoming a production reality. The company says it will facilitate ‘the brand’s ambition to explore GT-category racing'. Under current rules, that would necessitate a production version being built to homologate the racer, setting up a showdown with Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren in the supercar space.

> Genesis is making Bentley nervous with this unexpected convertible GT

Away from the mainstream players, there are parallels between the Magma GT and Toyota’s GR GT supercar, which is also being built alongside a GT3 variant. Like the Toyota, the Genesis will most likely be a clean-sheet project designed with racing in mind from the ground up. Technical details are thin on the ground, but Genesis notes it has a ‘mid-rear engine layout,’ all but confirming that it’s powered by a combustion engine – potentially with hybrid support. It also has an exhaust outlet at the rear, which spits flames if Genesis’s rendered video of the car is anything to go by.

Genesis President and Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke has experience in the supercar arena, having been head of design at Lamborghini from 1998 to 2005 – during which time he penned the Diablo 6.0 VT, Murciélago and Gallardo. ‘The Magma GT Concept represents the pinnacle of our performance vision and stands as a symbol of our commitment to true motorsport capability,’ he said. ‘It isn’t defined by raw aggression or uncompromising speed – it is defined by balance. This is not simply a faster Genesis. It is the most complete expression of Genesis performance to date.’

The changes made to the Magma GT since its reveal last year are small, but do bring it perhaps a little closer to production-spec. The rear lights have been refined, the diffuser redesigned with a much more sculpted profile, and the rear tyres are more exposed than before at the rear – there's more than a hint of Aston Martin Valhalla in the GT's design. Not much has changed elsewhere, and while this does still look like a concept, its newly unveiled GT3 counterpart certainly does not.

As well as fronting the racing programme, the Magma GT will act as a halo car to inform future performance models under the Magma sub-brand. There’s no word on when it might hit showrooms, but a launch before the end of the decade is likely.