Genesis, the premium brand of Hyundai Motor Group, will debut in the top-tier Hypercar class of the 24 Hours of Le Mans motorsport race in France. Having taken its first step into motorsports last year by competing in the LMP2 (Le Mans Prototype 2) category, Genesis plans to showcase high-performance technology and durability in the top class.
Genesis Motorsports team Genesis Magma Racing said on the 12th that it will compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Hypercar class at Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France, on the 13th-14th local time. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is regarded as one of the most prestigious motorsport events in the world, along with Formula One (F1) and the Indianapolis 500 in the United States.
In this race, a total of three drivers take turns running nonstop for 24 hours on a 13.626-kilometer track in an extreme test that showcases automakers' capabilities in engine performance, durability and service.
The Genesis racing team set its goal for this event as an "official finish." Genesis failed to finish in LMP2 last year, but successfully scored its first points in the second round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC), the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, held last month, raising expectations for finishing this race.
José Muñoz, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor, said, "The 24 Hours of Le Mans is an important stage to validate performance in extreme conditions," adding, "We will apply the experience gained through racing across Magma performance vehicle development and overall business operations."
Lee Si-hyuk, head of the Genesis Business Division (executive vice president), said, "This is a starting point for Genesis to validate new possibilities in motorsports," adding, "We will accumulate experiences and data that are hard to capture in conventional vehicle development and expand into high-performance mass-production models in the future."
The Genesis racing team's cars are two GMR-001 hypercars (#17, #19) unveiled last year. Both cars feature a livery (unique design including paint and sponsor logos) inspired by the Korean word "magma." Car #17 uses orange and black, while car #19 adds a white logo design to differentiate it.
Luc Donckerwolke, president and global design head of Hyundai Motor Group, said, "This year's livery goes beyond a simple racing design to emphasize the identity of Genesis performance."
Genesis will unveil the interior design of the Magma GT concept at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. The interior of this two-seat luxury grand tourer is driver-focused. It features analog gauges inspired by mechanical watches used in motorsports and physical control elements.
It also unveiled the Magma GT3 concept for the first time in the world. This concept car is designed to be optimized for race conditions. To expand its footprint in motorsports and high-performance cars, Genesis placed various devices throughout the car for air intake, exhaust and pressure relief.
Donckerwolke said, "While the Magma GT concept focused on realizing luxury and dynamism on public roads, the Magma GT3 concept maximizes performance, efficiency and purpose orientation for race conditions."
Meanwhile, Genesis also displayed two concept cars at the event based on the Genesis X Gran Convertible concept model first unveiled last year. This car applies the Magma design to the G90, the flagship full-size sedan.