Genesis Magma: Australia is a key market

Genesis wants to take on the high-octane heartbeat of Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi with its soon-to-arrive Magma line-up of high-performance luxury vehicles.

Set to launch in early 2026 with the GV60 Magma, the – bright orange – performance sub-brand of Hyundai’s luxury division has identified Australia as a key market for its upcoming models.

Speaking at the launch of a new multi-million-dollar Genesis dealership in western Sydney, the global CEO of Genesis, Mike Song, said Australia would be used to evaluate the Magma models that will eventually cover the brand’s entire range.

“Australia is a very performance-oriented market,” he said.

“We really want to learn from this market what kinds of high-performance should be the right fit for Genesis.”

That said, he’s aware that muscling in on a market brimming with impressive entrants won’t be easy, especially when there are performance options with serious heritage and pedigree such as Mercedes-AMG, BMW M and Audi RS.

He added that getting a following for Magma was “going to take time”, but that it would play a significant role in bolstering the brand’s currently small sales.

“We haven’t set a (sales) target but 10 per cent (of overall Genesis sales) would be great,” Song told carsales.

With Magma versions of virtually every core model set to be available, it’s perhaps unsurprising to learn the performance sub-brand will offer a broad range of powertrain options in line with Genesis’ evolving product strategy.

“Definitely Magma will be EV and hybrid,” he added, before confirming that all Magma models made in right-hand drive would be available to Australia.

The first Magma headed to local showrooms will be the GV60 crossover, a vehicle that borrows most of its high-performance hardware from the superb Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.

It should dish up at least its relative’s 478kW/770Nm and incorporate many of the N’s impressive dynamic traits, including fake gearshifts and a drift mode.

There are also some substantial design tweaks, including rally-inspired wheels, bolstered wheel arches and aerodynamic fins on the roof for high-speed stability.

Genesis will eventually do Magma versions of the GV70 and GV80 SUVs as well as the aging G70 sedan, a vehicle already previewed by the bright orange G70 Ring Taxis.

A G80 Electrified Magma has also been shown in concept form, not to mention the preceding internal combustion version set for release in the Middle East later this year before, according to Song, eventually making its way to Australia.