Genesis X Gran Berlinetta hits Bathurst with a bellowing V8

The 2023 Genesis X Gran Berlinetta concept has made its global dynamic debut at the Bathurst 12 Hour and stunned onlookers with its bellowing V8 soundtrack.

Having taken to the iconic Mt Panorama circuit in the hands of F1 legend and Genesis brand ambassador Jacky Ickx this morning, the low-slung speed machine debuted in 2023 with a hybridised V6 good for some 787kW/1337Nm, however it doesn’t take an engineer to confirm the car lapping Bathurst has a very different set-up.

Trundling around Australia’s most famous racetrack alongside the battery-electric GV60 Magma, all eyes were on the Berlinetta as its delectable exhaust note echoed and bounced off the barriers and surrounding hills.

We couldn’t make out any clear turbo spool or supercharger whine via the official Bathurst 12 Hour Friday livestream, but there was no missing the angry bark of what could well be a new-generation V8 hybrid powertrain – something that would no doubt send chills down the spines of Lexus engineers as they ready the LFR.

Being a show car it’s entirely possible the Berlinetta doesn’t feature any sort of electrification in its current form, but Hyundai is known for delivering fully functioning ‘rolling labs’ rather than static concepts.

Our local Genesis contacts wouldn’t be drawn on confirming any details of the ‘magma orange’ coupe whatsoever, including the presence of a V8.

While far from a guarantee, such caginess around a vehicle that’s been the marque’s pin-up child for more than two years and spawned a digital follow-up suggests there could be half decent production implications surrounding the Gran Berlinetta and/or its powertrain.

Genesis top brass made it abundantly clear this week the brand would offer internal combustion, hybrid and EV powertrains in its portfolio going forward while its upcoming Magma line-up will rely on Australia for direction.

It is of course entirely plausible engineers lumped the would-be supercar with a whopping great V8 for the extra aural drama and fanfare it would generate at a dynamic display, but that seems like a stretch on the time and effort scales to then have nothing come of it.

Genesis is no stranger to V8s either – before it rolled out its current twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6, the brand’s flagship engine was a 5.0-litre bent eight good for 320kW/520Nm under the bonnet of the first-generation G80 and G90 limousines.

Odds are the wick has been turned up a fair bit more than that for the Berlinetta – if it is the ‘Tau’ engine after all – but we won’t know for sure until someone at Genesis fancies discussing it on the record.

If the X Gran Berlinetta is headed for production with a V8, it sets up an intriguing battle with the 2026 Lexus LFR which has long been touted to sport a force-fed, potentially electrified, V8.

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