In a world where performance brands are obsessed with Nürburgring lap times, Genesis is taking a different approach. It says it simply doesn’t care about the stopwatch.
Speaking at the launch of the GV60 Magma, Genesis chief creative officer Luc Donckerwolke took a thinly veiled swipe at German rivals (and potentially even sibling brand Hyundai N), stating that chasing track records ruins road cars.
“We are not looking at the lap times,” Mr Donckerwolke said.
“I hate cars that are basically only good on the Nürburgring… if you drive it on the normal road, it shakes your fillings out.”
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The comments define the separation between Genesis Magma and the Hyundai N division. While the Ioniq 5 N is designed to be a “corner rascal” capable of enduring 20-minute track sessions, the mechanically related GV60 Magma is being positioned as a high-performance GT.
“Magma is designed to be rewarding, not challenging,” Mr Donckerwolke explained.
“To compliment the driver, not to intimidate. It’s the kind of car where you suddenly realise you’re driving faster than you thought you could, and it feels effortless.”
This philosophy is backed by Manfred Harrer, the head of Genesis performance development. He confirmed that while the Magma models will be track-capable, featuring heavy-duty cooling and braking hardware, the suspension tuning is deliberately distinct from other performance EVs.
“This is another tuning, calibration philosophy compared to all the other cars from the [Hyundai Motor Group]… we want to combine [performance] from an emotional standpoint,” Mr Harrer said.
For Australian buyers, who often complain about the harsh ride of performance SUVs on our B-roads, this “Goldilocks” approach – serious speed with genuine compliance – could make the Magma range a more liveable alternative to the firm-riding competition from BMW M and Mercedes-AMG.
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