Genesis to take on Ferrari and Toyota at Le Mans

Genesis has joined the Hypercar fray, revealing its GMR-001 LMDh competitor. The car and the newly-launched Genesis Magma Racing team will do battle with Ferrari, Toyota, Aston Martin, Porsche, BMW, Cadillac, Alpine and more when it enters the World Endurance Championship for the 2026 season.

The Genesis GMR-001 will be built to LMDh regulations, meaning that it will use standardised hybrid componentry and a partner chassis. Genesis has partnered with Oreca for the GMR-001 chassis, which also underpins the Alpine A424 and Acura ARX-06. André Lotterer will leave the Porsche-Penske lineup to drive GMR-001 in 2026, alongside former Cadillac man Pipo Derani.

Recognisably a Genesis by the use of its two-lines lighting, the GMR-001 in appearance seems to meld concepts seen on a few hypercars. While a car built to LMDh regulations, some of the aero – particularly the rear wing with its triple swept fins – looks influenced by LMH cars like the Ferrari 499P. Revealed only in scale model form, it’s likely this concept will evolve significantly before the real thing goes racing in the WEC in 2026, and the American IMSA championship in 2027.

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Alongside the prototype, Genesis Magma Racing got its own reveal as an overarching endurance racing brand, operating under Hyundai Motorsport. It’s the next step in galvanising the Magma performance brand, which was introduced with the GV80 Coupe Concept, G80 Magma, GV60 Magma, X Gran Berlinetta and X Gran Racer VGT Concepts. It will be the branding associated with forthcoming Genesis performance models, akin to BMW’s M division.

Luc Donckerwolke, Genesis CCO, said: ‘The GMR-001 Hypercar and our Magma models represent a fusion of Genesis’ performance ambitions with our design-driven DNA.

‘From the intense orange of Magma, symbolizing Korean passion and energy, to the precision engineering behind each component, we are entering a new chapter, where speed meets elegance.’