Genesis reveals its first in-house-designed V8 in years

The latest powertrain developed internally at Genesis will be powering the endurance racer known as the GMR-001 (see video).

According to CarBuzz, the V-shaped eight-cylinder engine has already been fully designed, tested, built and installed on a custom race car chassis by Oreca. The company currently has a luxury sub-brand going under the Magma badge, and we suppose one of future Magma cars may wind up with this engine under the hood. It will likely have to be modified for street use, though.

No technical specifications have been revealed so far. All we know is that the block was created from two four-cylinder engines Hyundai routinely used in its rally cars. It was also outfitted with twin turbochargers and an electric motor to maximize output. Endurance racing engines are normally capped at 680 PS (671 hp / 500 kW), so we expect this one not to be an exception, either.

Genesis claims it took engineers several months to fully test the engine on various stands and dynos before it could finally be mounted on the Oreca chassis. The first test drive is scheduled for later this month, but the car won’t be up for racing until 2026.

Back in late 2024, Genesis Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke let it slip that the company was seriously considering launching a supercar lineup with a privately designed V8 under the hood. It would emerge under Magma branding and be closely based on the existing Genesis vehicle lineup. Donckerwolke didn’t delve into details, but we’d imagine the G80 sedan being a likely candidate for this supercar conversion.