Meet the 2025 Genesis GV80 Desert Edition made for Dakar

Genesis has created an off-road race-ready version of its 2025 Genesis GV80 to celebrate its brand ambassador and racing legend Jacky Ickx’s 80th birthday.

Proving its added ruggedness, before presenting the gift to Ickx engineers gave the special one-off GV80 a 6000km shakedown along much of the 2025 Dakar Rally, which was held recently in Saudi Arabia.

Overseen by ex-Bentley and Lamborghini designer and current Genesis Creative director, Luc Donckerwolke, the new off-road race-ready GV80 Desert Rally was developed in cooperation with Dubai-based W Motors, the company behind the Lykan Hypersport supercar.

Riding on motorsport-spec forged 20-inch bead-lock alloy wheels that are wrapped with all-terrain rubber, the GV80 features front and rear fenders that are 40mm wider thanks to new extenders.

Other changes are the yellow LED lights within the front bumper, LEDs on the A-pillars, and a new night vision system.

A custom roof rack with LED light bar, extra fuel cannisters, sandboards and a roof-top tent are also included.

Beneath the skin there’s a motorsport-derived fully adjustable suspension setup that has been engineered for desert racing.

Claimed to offer maximum ground clearance and greater damping needed for enhanced stability on both soft sand and rocky trails, the new setup is said to bring better traction and higher speeds cross country.

Under the bonnet, there’s no word how the GV80’s top-spec 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 (279kW/530Nm) has been modified, but it’s expected to produce both more power and torque while featuring better cooling.

Painted in Midnight Blue, with a white stripe over the bonnet, the paint scheme is said to pay tribute to Jackie Ickx's helmet design.

Within, the standard GV80’s luxurious cabin carries over largely unchanged, save for the addition of an integrated drawer system in the boot.

Packaged within the stacking system is a full-size spare wheel, plus the tools, emergency equipment, water supplies, first aid kit and the communication tech you need when you’re covering large expanses of remote desert, as the vehicle did as part of its 6000km Dakar shakedown.

Ickx, who won the Dakar Rally in 1983 behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz 280, before going on to score a second place in 1986 (Porsche 959 Dakar) and again in 1989 (Peugeot 405 Turbo 16), is an official race advisor for the car-maker’s fledgling Genesis Magma Racing motorsport division. He’s also an active ambassador for the Korean luxury brand, which is owned by the Hyundai Motors Group.

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