CHEONAN, Korea, Oct. 22, 2026 — The Genesis Championship returns this week for its milestone 10th edition, taking place from Oct. 22-25 at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, Korea. A total of 126 world-class golfers from the KPGA TOUR, DP World Tour and PGA TOUR will compete across four rounds of 72-hole stroke play.

First launched in 2017 to support the Korean men’s professional golf and place domestic talent onto the global stage, the tournament was elevated to a co-sanctioned event between the KPGA TOUR and the DP World Tour in 2024. Boasting a prize purse of $4 million — the largest on the KPGA TOUR — the 2026 champion will take home $680,000 along with a Genesis GV80 Hybrid model.

In addition to the winner's share, the champion will earn 1,300 KPGA TOUR Genesis Points, 835 DP World Tour Race to Dubai Ranking points, and two-year tournament exemptions across both tours.

The highest ranked KPGA TOUR players in the championship will also be awarded a spot in the 2027 Genesis Scottish Open, co-sanctioned by the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour.

"Celebrating its 10th anniversary since our inaugural tournament in 2017, the Genesis Championship has firmly established itself as a premier international stage for top global talent," said Sean Lee, Global Head of Genesis. "This year, we look forward to welcoming golf fans, children and families with a wide range of on-site experiences and activities for everyone to enjoy."

World-Class Player Field

The 2026 tournament features 126 elite golfers, headlined by defending champion Junghwan Lee and this year’s winner of The Open Championship, Ryan Fox, who is making his tournament debut in Korea. Joining them are PGA TOUR Korean standouts, Siwoo Kim and Sungjae Im, alongside top-ranked competitors from both the KPGA TOUR and DP World Tour vying for the title.

Dedicated Support for Players and Caddies

Reflecting Genesis' continued commitment to players and caddies’ comfort, the tournament provides official transportation with a dedicated fleet of 67 Genesis vehicles — including the GV80 Coupe, G90 flagship sedan, and Electrified GV70. In support of DP World Tour’s Green Drive sustainability initiative, three Universe hydrogen fuel-cell electric buses are deployed for player transfers, reinforcing Hyundai Motor Group’s commitment to sustainability and advanced hydrogen technology.

On the course, the first player to sink a hole-in-one at the 16th hole will take home a Genesis GV70, while their caddie will receive an all-electric Genesis GV60.

Throughout the week, the Players & Caddies Café offers a relaxing lounge serving complimentary beverages and refreshments, ensuring players and caddies can recharge and maintain peak condition throughout the competition.

Premium Hospitality and Brand Experiences

Rooted in Genesis’ core “Son-nim” philosophy to treat every visitor as an honored guest, the tournament expands its signature luxury hospitality offerings this year.

Exclusive Hospitality Lounges: Overlooking the 18th green, VIP guests can enjoy the Genesis Suite and the owners-only Genesis Son-nim Lounge. Near the clubhouse, the Genesis Championship Lounge welcomes guests from both spaces, delivering elevated hospitality.

10th Anniversary Fan Village & Brand Activations: Spectators can explore special 10th-anniversary commemorative merchandise and discover the Genesis Collection, featuring Genesis Championship logo accessories and lifestyle goods.

New golf accessories including ball markers, beanies, bucket hats, driver headcovers and lightweight golf stand bags scheduled for release early next year will be on display for the first time, with pre-orders available on site.

Nine vehicles are displayed across the venue, including the GV80 Hybrid, GV60 Magma and Genesis’ flagship luxury SUV, the GV90 Neolun.

A test-drive program for the GV80 Hybrid is also being offered to guests who pre-registered ahead of the tournament.

Genesis Magma Racing Zone: Motorsport fans can see the high-performance GMR-001 Hypercar up close, in addition to the exclusive Genesis Magma Racing Collection.

Youth Golf and Family Programs: New this year, a dedicated Kids Zone offers creative activities and golfing experiences for young spectators. This includes the ‘Kids Golf Zone’ where children can learn golf basics from professional coaches, as well as the ‘Kids Autograph Zone’ where players will be giving out their autographs.

Curated Dining: The spectator Food Zone brings together popular Seoul culinary brands alongside local specialties from the Cheonan region.

Celebrating a decade of excellence, the 2026 Genesis Championship underscores the marque’s enduring commitment to championing emerging golf talents and inspiring the sport's future through engaging programs for enthusiasts and spectators of all ages. Paired with authentic Korean Son-nim hospitality, Genesis remains committed to setting new standards for world-class sporting experiences.

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BARCELONA, Spain, Oct. 21, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing has confirmed its six drivers for the 2027 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), retaining the same lineup for the team’s second season in the series. The decision provides the stability and consistency needed to build on the knowledge gained during the development and debut season of the GMR-001 Hypercar. It will allow the team to maintain its momentum and continue working towards its ambition of scoring points regularly in 2027.

Stability Provides Foundation for Further Progress

Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said: “Continuity is essential at this stage of our program. Our drivers have built valuable knowledge of the GMR-001 Hypercar and strong working relationships with our technical team. They have also developed a positive dynamic and genuinely enjoy working together. Retaining the same lineup allows us to carry this experience and team spirit into 2027, continue developing the car efficiently and take further steps towards scoring points with both cars at every race.”

Genesis Magma Racing has achieved several important milestones during its first FIA WEC season. The team was immediately competitive at the opening round in Imola — before the #17 GMR-001 Hypercar scored the program’s first championship points in only its second race at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The same car later finished seventh at Lone Star Le Mans, the brand’s best result to date.

The team also achieved one of its main objectives by finishing the 24 Hours of Le Mans on its first attempt. The #19 GMR-001 Hypercar then fought inside the top five for much of the 6 Hours of Fuji before the #17 car secured Genesis Magma Racing’s first FIA WEC pole position at the 6 Hours of Barcelona — only seven races into the team’s debut season.

These achievements, combined with the drivers’ contribution to the development of the GMR-001 Hypercar, provide a strong foundation for 2027. Throughout the season, the six drivers have built a close relationship with each other and the wider team. Keeping the group together will allow Genesis Magma Racing to build on this positive dynamic, maintain its momentum and focus on unlocking further performance from the car.

“Our drivers understand the car, our working methods and what we need to improve,” said Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director Gabriele Tarquini. “They work very well together and have built a strong relationship with the entire team, so we are very pleased to continue with this group next season. Securing our first pole position in Barcelona was an important milestone and demonstrated how far we have come together in our debut season. We believe this group has the experience and potential to go even further. With the same drivers, we can build on these strong foundations, unlock further performance from the GMR-001 and fight regularly for points in 2027.”

The exact lineups for the team’s two cars for the 2027 season will be confirmed ahead of the first race of the year.

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Genesis’ approach is ambitious in its electrification goals and attuned to what customers want. The luxury marque remains committed to an all-electric future, while recognizing that the path there is not one-size-fits-all.

“One of the key success factors of our company has been the fact that we have made available to our customers what they want,” said José Muñoz, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company.

Starting in 2026, Genesis plans to introduce a line of advanced hybrid and extended range electric vehicle (EREV) models as an efficient, seamless entry point into electrification. And that journey begins with the GV80 Hybrid, Genesis’ first hybrid.

Beyond the Conventional Hybrid Experience

The advantages of hybrid driving are clear: the long-distance flexibility of a combustion engine paired with the efficiency of an electric motor. But as Genesis’ first hybrid model, the GV80 Hybrid goes a step further. Alongside enhanced fuel efficiency and performance, it delivers the quietness, immediate responsiveness and smooth acceleration associated with electric driving.

Genesis’ new brand campaign for the GV80 Hybrid, “With Sense and Sensibility,” gives this blend of rational appeal and emotional refinement a human expression. The Thinker sits atop his plinth in the city, absorbed in contemplation. Then, he encounters the GV80 Hybrid and sets off beyond the familiar: through forests, across open landscapes and along coastal cliffs. With each new scene, the world opens up.

Electric Character, Without the Plug-In Routine

The GV80 Hybrid pairs a 2.5-liter Turbo engine with a starter-generator motor and a drive motor. The system can use the engine, the motor or both — depending on driving conditions. Unlike a plug-in hybrid, it does not need to be connected to an external charger as its battery is replenished through the hybrid system which includes regenerative braking.

This arrangement can suit drivers who want some of the character of electric driving but do not want charging to dictate their routine. The system prioritizes EV-mode driving after startup, helping reduce engine noise and vibration as the vehicle pulls away. It also makes use of the electric motor in city traffic, where frequent stops and slow-moving stretches are part of the drive. Quiet operation, smooth acceleration and immediate throttle response are intended to bring an EV-like quality to these everyday moments.

The experience changes with the journey. In town, motor assistance can make traffic feel more composed; on longer drives, the engine and motor work together to provide power and flexibility. For drivers who are interested in electrification but concerned about charging access or range anxiety, this combination offers a more seamless way to experience the transition.

Ready for Adventures off the Asphalt

Some journeys also leave the main road behind. On all-wheel-drive versions, Hybrid Terrain Performance can supplement motor power with engine power when the system determines that additional support is needed at low speeds on steep gradients, unpaved roads or other challenging surfaces. In Terrain mode, it maintains a higher battery state of charge to support stable performance in demanding conditions.

The film’s progression from night, through day, to sunset, the changing light and scenery communicate comfort, relaxation and confidence in the hybrid experience — allowing viewers to imagine what it means to keep travelling beyond the commute and past the familiar.

Other hybrid-specific features support efficiency and ease of use. Hierarchical Predictive Control can anticipate the route and road conditions, helping optimize battery charge and the selection of EV, hybrid and regenerative-braking modes. Smart regenerative braking can adjust braking intensity using navigation information and the distance to vehicles ahead. By recovering energy as the vehicle slows, it can help recharge the battery while reducing the need for repeated brake-pedal input.

The result is a system designed to adapt as the journey changes, rather than asking the driver to manage each transition.

Comfort Beyond the Drive

The Thinker’s journey is not all motion. One of the film’s quieter moments comes as he rolls up the window and experiences the EV-like calm of the cabin. It offers a visual cue to the GV80 Hybrid’s focus on quietness and refinement, particularly in situations where the electric motor can be used.

Genesis has also equipped the vehicle with electronically controlled shock absorbers that adjust compression and rebound damping in response to vehicle dynamics, helping balance ride comfort and stability. The aim is a composed experience for the driver and passengers, whether the route is a short urban trip or a longer drive.

The vehicle’s hybrid features can also be useful when the journey pauses.

Stay Mode utilizes the high-voltage battery to power all in-vehicle comfort and convenience functions, including climate control and multimedia systems without starting the engine. This allows occupants to remain comfortable inside the stationary vehicle before and after a journey.

The GV80’s Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality on the other hand turns the vehicle into a mobile power source, supplying electricity to standard household appliances and electronic devices just as with an EV. It can be used continuously while the engine is running.

A New Chapter for Hybrid Driving

By the end of the campaign video, The Thinker is no longer simply observing the world from a distance. He has travelled through it, encountered new surroundings and taken the first step toward another journey.

Throughout his journey, the destination matters less than what is discovered along the way. In much the same way, the GV80 Hybrid moves beyond familiar offerings such as fuel economy and efficiency to demonstrate that hybrid driving can also deliver an emotional, engaging experience — opening a new chapter for luxury hybrids.

Watch the campaign video below:

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For the Genesis GV90, resolving that trade-off was the primary focus of Sungki Jung and his team at Genesis Vehicle Testing Group 1. Their approach centers on two clear development priorities: maintaining stable, controlled vehicle behavior in all driving conditions, and creating a cabin environment insulated from external noise and vibration.

“We believe moments of refinement are created through elegant, quiet movement,” Jung explains.

“Flagship-level driving performance requires both dynamic driving and comfort, which are qualities that are difficult to deliver simultaneously. Our development direction came down to two priorities: stable, composed behavior that remains firmly controlled in every driving situation, and quietness that makes the cabin feel calm and isolated from the world outside.”

Precision Down to the Millimeter

“Outstanding driving performance is determined in places you cannot see, and it begins with suspension geometry,” says Jung. “We refined this geometry down to the millimeter to find the ideal balance for a flagship vehicle.”

Suspension geometry refers to the exact angles, pickup points, and spatial arrangements that govern how the tires contact the road and how impact forces are transmitted through the vehicle’s body.

On the front suspension, the team achieved a generous 42 millimeters of caster trail. This setup strengthens the steering system’s natural self-centering characteristics, giving the steering wheel a more substantial, reassuring feel and reinforcing the driver’s connection to the road.

To counteract the “jacking” effect — a tendency for an SUV’s body to lift during cornering — the roll center was lowered by 20 millimeters compared to key competitor benchmarks. Combined with enhanced anti-lift characteristics that suppress front-end rise under hard acceleration, the front geometry helps keep all four wheels planted and the body level.

At the rear, the focus was placed squarely on stability and ride refinement. Genesis integrated hydro bushings into the rear crossmember, securing it tightly while absorbing road-induced vibrations. Engineers also stiffened the stabilizer bar, increasing roll stiffness by 17% and lateral stiffness by 13% over competitors. When the driver selects Sport mode, roll stiffness increases by an additional 15%, ensuring stability and unwavering confidence even during high-speed maneuvers.

An Adaptive Ride

Complementing the suspension geometry is the GV90’s multi-chamber air suspension which comes standard on all model variants. It actively monitors driving conditions and surface inputs to adjust spring rates on the fly.

By opening and closing two internal air chambers at each wheel, the system tailors its firmness to the immediate driving scenario:

Soft Setting: In everyday driving, both chambers remain open to yield a softer air spring that absorbs road imperfections and bumps.

Firm Setting: During high-speed cruising or dynamic cornering, one chamber closes, increasing spring stiffness to suppress body roll and keep the chassis composed.

The air suspension also manages vehicle ride height automatically. It raises the chassis by 35 millimeters on rough surfaces to prevent underbody damage and lowers it by 15 millimeters in Sport mode to enhance aerodynamic efficiency and stability. For everyday convenience, the system lowers the vehicle by 25 millimeters for easier entry and exit, while the rear can be lowered by up to 40 millimeters to simplify cargo loading.

Working alongside the air springs are monotube dual-valve electronically controlled shock absorbers (ECS). Traditional dampers must balance compression (absorbing road bumps) and rebound (controlling the return motion) through shared pathways. The GV90 separates these functions into independent valves, adjusting damping forces continuously rather than cycling between a few fixed presets. As road impacts occur, the shock absorbers manage them smoothly and quickly stabilize body motion, producing a fluid, level ride.

Traction and Agility

Electronic limited-slip differentials (e-LSDs) are typically reserved for dedicated sports cars, but Genesis chose to integrate e-LSDs into both the front and rear Power Electric (PE) systems — a first for Hyundai Motor Group.

“Limited-slip differentials, such as an e-LSD, are often seen as technologies reserved for sports cars or high-performance vehicles, but we saw it differently,” Jung emphasizes. “We believed that a Genesis flagship should deliver stable, effortless driving in any road condition and situation.”

Utilizing fast-acting Brushless Alternating Current (BLAC) motor actuators, the dual e-LSDs continuously distribute torque across all four wheels based on real-time driving inputs:

Cornering: Power is actively metered between the inside and outside wheels, improving traction, curbing understeer, and helping the vehicle remain agile through turns.

Low-Grip Surfaces: On snow, wet asphalt, or unpaved roads, torque is quickly diverted away from slipping wheels to those with available grip, maintaining steady traction and vehicle control.

A Comprehensive Approach to NVH

Electric vehicles introduce unique acoustic demands. Without the background hum of an internal combustion engine, ambient wind noise, road roar, and electric powertrain sounds become significantly amplified and are more noticeable to occupants.

“Beyond driving well, the GV90 refines every moment inside to be exceptionally quiet,” Jung states. “And it begins with the windows, the first barrier against outside noise.”

Genesis addressed this by insulating the cabin at every key noise path, starting with the glass. For the first time on a Genesis model, acoustic glass measuring 5.0 millimeters or thicker is applied to every window of the GV90 — some of the thickest among vehicles in its class.

The side windows and the expansive Smart Vision Roof feature even thicker 5.7-millimeter acoustic glass, which incorporates a dedicated sound-absorbing film sandwiched between two layers of glass to filter wind and road noise. Across the cabin, the same glazing reduces interior noise levels by three decibels compared to previous Genesis models.

Behind the exterior panels, dense insulation pads line every critical acoustic transmission pathway, including the dashboard partition separating the front motor compartment from the cabin, the floor pans, the wheel arches and the luggage area. Genesis also modified its assembly processes to fit sound-absorbing materials around underfloor wiring runs, preventing sound from traveling through these passages.

Additionally, engineers applied high-expansion acoustic foam inside the vehicle’s hollow body frame sections across six key locations. Injected during manufacturing, the foam expands up to 45 times its initial volume, sealing internal air channels and stiffening localized structural points to dampen vibrations. In standardized vehicle testing, this reduced mid- and high-frequency cabin noise by up to three decibels.

Cargo Partitioning

In conventional SUV layouts, the open cargo area can channel road and tire noise from the rear wheels forward into the passenger compartment.

To address this in the GV90 Neolun Executive Suite (4-seat configuration), Genesis introduced a dedicated Comfort Partition positioned directly behind the second-row seats. By physically separating the passenger space from the trunk, the partition blocks cargo-area resonance, providing second-row occupants with an acoustic environment comparable to a luxury sedan.

Managing Powertrain Noise at the Source

Electric drive motors generate torque through electrical current, and subtle fluctuations in current flow can produce distinct high-frequency noise and micro-vibrations.

Rather than relying purely on passive sound deadening, Genesis engineers tackled this at the control stage itself. The motor control unit introduces an opposing electrical waveform to neutralize current fluctuations directly, canceling out motor whine at the source.

For any residual sound, the coverage of sound-absorbing and insulating materials wrapped around the electric motors and control units increased to 80%, keeping the powertrain quiet even during heavy acceleration.

A Masterclass in Balanced Refinement

The Genesis GV90’s ride and handling, as well as noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) engineering reflect a balanced, disciplined approach to vehicle dynamics.

By pairing responsive, predictable handling with comprehensive cabin isolation, the GV90 delivers on that vision, providing a composed, quiet driving experience across every mile.

“Stable driving confidence and exceptional quietness — only when these two qualities coexist is every moment of travel elevated with refinement,” Jung concludes.

BARCELONA, Spain, Oct. 18, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing just missed out on points-scoring in the penultimate round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), finishing 11th with the #19 crew of Dani Juncadella, Paul-Loup Chatin and Mathieu Jaminet after a challenging 6 Hours of Barcelona. The weekend did however showcase the impressive pace of the GMR-001 Hypercar as demonstrated in qualifying with Mathys Jaubert storming to a historic first-ever pole position for the brand.

Historic Maiden Pole Goes Unrewarded in the Race

Aiming to continue the momentum gained from the previous round, the strong pace of the pair of GMR-001 Hypercars was confirmed from the start of the weekend with the #17 setting the second-fastest time in FP2 and the #19 doing likewise in FP3. Both cars comfortably progressed into Hyperpole, with Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory Program graduate Jaubert then setting two laps good enough for pole, with the #19 of Jaminet taking third.

Overnight rain meant all cars started the race on the wet tire, with André Lotterer briefly leading in the #17 before being passed by the fast-starting #19 of Juncadella under braking for turn one. Unfortunately, as the first driver to encounter the wet track at racing speeds, Juncadella was caught out at turn five and slid through the gravel trap, dropping to the rear of the Hypercar field.

The variable grip levels proved a challenge for both cars, with both Juncadella and Lotterer suffering off-track moments as well as intermittent systems related issues which cost them valuable time.

Approaching the halfway point, the pace of the G8MR 3.2l V8 powered cars remained competitive, particularly for the #19 which was able to fight with those around it inside the points-paying positions. The #17’s race was impacted further after receiving a drive through penalty, but with Jaubert and then Pipo Derani, it reached the finish without further issues in P16.

Having taken over from Juncadella, Chatin continued to move the #19 back towards the top 10 positions as strategy began to play a part in the closing hours. Jaminet then brought the car to within half a second of a points finish with a strong final stint, but ultimately came up just short at the end. Despite the disappointment, the Genesis Magma Racing team gained more valuable data and lessons ahead of the final round of its maiden campaign in FIA WEC at Monza next month.

Genesis Magma Racing Team Management Quotes

Gabriele Tarquini, Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director said: “Although we missed out on scoring points today, we saw that the potential of the car was there throughout the race. The positive point for us is knowing that we have a good car, but it’s clear that we also need to improve in certain areas, particularly in race trim. This will be our focus for the last race of the season at Monza, where we hope to have a trouble-free race there. Saturday was an unforgettable day for the whole team, securing the first pole position for Genesis; today was more challenging, we encountered some issues in the race which cost us points for both cars.”

Justin Taylor, Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer said: “It was a character-building day for everyone, drivers, engineers and mechanics included. With the single lap pace that we showed yesterday, our expectations for the race were pretty high, but clearly, we still have a lot to learn. We had a few small technical issues that just took us too long to sort out and that cost us too much time in the end. It’s all part of the learning process and we need to look into these issues and make sure we come back better prepared at Monza.”

Driver Quote - #17 GMR-001 Hypercar

Pipo Derani said: “The race was quite difficult for us, but we have to take the positives away from the weekend, which was the first pole position for Genesis Magma Racing, and we can be very happy with that. We had some issues during the race, which we were able to solve on the go, but this is the first year of this project and there are a lot of lessons to take into the future. The car has shown a lot of performance and really happy about that.”

Mathys Jaubert said: “Overall, it was a difficult race for us this weekend, but we showed that the pace over one lap was very good. On the other hand, there are still plenty of things to learn in terms of the race pace, car setup and the systems issues that we had during the race. There is a short gap between now and the last race of the year, so we hope to turn it around and score some points to finish the season on a high at Monza.”

André Lotterer said: “Unfortunately, not a good race for us, but there are lots of positives to take from this weekend with the pole position and a good performance from the sister car as well. We had some technical issues with the car which started after the first virtual safety car; up until that point it was quite good. All in all, we couldn’t really perform to our maximum because of this. It’s part of the process of being new to the championship but we will go home, analyze and try to fix this, and hope to be stronger at Monza. We’ve been strong in qualifying, but we need to improve on Sunday.”

Driver Quote - #19 GMR-001 Hypercar

Paul-Loup Chatin said: “I am happy with the performance that we have shown all weekend to be honest. We were quite strong in free practice, qualifying and even in the race; we just had some issues during the race but in the end, we were only half a second away from scoring our first points for the #19 car so this proves that the pace was strong. It is frustrating but we have to learn together as a team, and I am sure our time will come.”

Mathieu Jaminet said: “We need to keep the positives. Once again, we highlighted that the one-lap speed of the car is outstanding. For our first year, to start first and third was incredible, even if Saturday was not entirely smooth on our side. Unfortunately, the race didn’t go our way for a number of reasons, but we will take these learnings into the next three weeks, get our heads down and prepare as best we can for the final round of the season at Monza. We clearly have the speed, there is no question about this, and we are able to fight with the others, we just need to execute at every level and make that step to score points with both cars.”

Dani Juncadella said: “It’s a frustrating result for sure, there are a lot of areas we need to analyze but personally, just a bad day. I made a good start and was looking good for four corners and I just misjudged the grip and the braking point and went from first to last which was very annoying. We were really strong in the wet and I made my way back to P8 which was very nice, but when it dried out, we weren’t as competitive as we would have liked. There were some little setbacks during the race which made us drop back. Despite losing a lap, we nearly made the points, but it was not to be unfortunately.”

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BARCELONA, Spain, Oct. 17, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing has announced Dani Juncadella as its first driver for the 2027 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at an event held during the 6 Hours of Barcelona weekend. The timing of the confirmation recognizes the Spaniard’s importance to the team as well as the significance of the event, reinforcing the strategic role of Spain within Genesis’ broader European ambitions.

Confirmation Adds to Important Spanish Weekend

The confirmation took place at an event in central Barcelona organized by Genesis Motor Europe. The event provided a fitting opportunity to confirm the Spanish driver during an already special weekend as he competes at home during the WEC’s first-ever visit to the country.

“I’m already massively motivated for next season,” said Juncadella. “My first season in Hypercar has been a valuable experience. As a rookie, even at 35, there were still a lot of things to learn, but I feel like I have got better and better through the season and so has the team.”

He added: “It’s great to receive this news at my home race because I have my family and friends around to enjoy the moment with me. It’s great that WEC is racing in Barcelona — it’s something I never really expected — and being part of the event while confirming my place in the team has left me really pumped up for the race.”

Working well with Paul-Loup Chatin and Mathieu Jaminet, his co-drivers in the #19 GMR-001 Hypercar, he has played an important part in the car’s development throughout the year, having also contributed to its initial development after being confirmed as part of the 2026 squad in September 2025.

“Dani’s performances this season have been consistently impressive, and his recent WEC experience has been very important to the team,” said Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director Gabriele Tarquini. “I’m very happy that we can confirm him for 2027, and I hope we can achieve further milestones together in the final two rounds of this season.”

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SEOUL, Oct. 15, 2026 — As part of Genesis’ multi-year partnership with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Genesis shares the Museum’s announcement today that artist Danh Vo has been selected for The Genesis Facade Commission in 2027. “The Genesis Facade Commission: Danh Vo” will be on view from Sept. 16, 2027 through June 13, 2028 in New York.

In Danh Vo’s practice, dialogues emerge through objects that carry meaning in relation to specific events or their currency as universal icons, with mortality being central to the work.

For the fourth exhibition of The Genesis Facade Commission, Vo will create four new works for the historic facade’s niches. By bringing together diverse objects and creating unexpected relationships that prompt new reflections, his works will become a compelling lens through which to engage with a site of classical architectural meaning.

“We are pleased to continue The Genesis Facade Commission with Danh Vo as its fourth artist,” said DooEun Choi, Art Director of Hyundai Motor. “By bringing objects and histories into new relations, Vo explores how meaning is shaped and transformed as it moves across time and contexts. We look forward to seeing this dialogue unfold at The Met.”

“Danh Vo treats history as something alive and unsettled, and is deeply attuned to the ways objects carry meaning across time,” said Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and Chief Executive Officer. “Vo takes apart the objects through which history is told, from monuments to family heirlooms, and reassembles them in ways that reveal how constructed and fragile our shared narratives can be. With a collection spanning thousands of years of art, The Met is a natural partner for the artist. Visitors will meet Vo’s project on Fifth Avenue, so that this commission frames the very experience of arriving at the Museum.”

“With a light but transfiguring touch, Danh Vo creates artworks that unfix and vivify our relationship to the past. He is one of the most inventive and essential artists of our time,” said David Breslin, The Met’s Leonard A. Lauder Curator in Charge, Department of Modern and Contemporary Art. “Danh Vo has long explored how objects hold histories, personal and political, often in ways that are layered or unresolved. This gives him a singular way into a building whose very purpose is to hold and contextualize very layered and unresolved collections for our millions of engaged visitors. We’re thrilled that Danh has taken on this project that holds a mirror onto The Met, the artist, and the world.”

“A facade is the place where the museum meets the street and it is also an expression of its values over time,” said Danh Vo. “How to create a work that meets the intensity of this invitation? An approach that finds relevance for the institution, for me as an artist, for New York? I know that anything I place within that frame will have the opportunity to be in conversation with a world of objects, and with the many people who made and cared for them.”

Initiated in 2024, The Genesis Facade Commission is an annual exhibition that builds upon the Museum’s contemporary art commissions on the Fifth Avenue facade since 2019. Each year, one artist selected by The Met is invited to create new site-specific works of art, inspiring authentic engagement between the artist, The Met's audience and the broader global art world.

About Genesis and Genesis Art Initiatives

Genesis is a global automotive brand that aims to deliver the highest standards of performance, design, safety, and innovation while looking towards a more sustainable future. Reflecting a commitment to authenticity, Genesis seeks to foster dialogue on issues that transcend spatial and temporal boundaries, inspiring people to discover the profound through the arts. Genesis Art Initiatives supports institutions and visionaries with an understanding of contemporary challenges and timeless values. The initiatives include The Genesis Facade Commission at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a multi-year partnership presenting newly commissioned artworks on the niches of The Met’s Fifth Avenue facade, The Genesis Talks at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, a public talk program inviting visionaries across multiple disciplines, and The Genesis Exhibition: Do Ho Suh: Walk the House at Tate Modern, a comprehensive exhibition of the prominent artist. Visit www.genesis.com/art.html or follow @genesis_worldwide #GenesisArtInitiatives to learn more about our partnerships and programs.

About The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in 1870 by a group of American citizens—businessmen and financiers as well as leading artists and thinkers of the day—who wanted to create a museum to bring art and art education to the American people. Today, The Met displays tens of thousands of objects covering 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online. Since its founding, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum's galleries and through its exhibitions, events and educational programs, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures. The Met presents over 29,000 educational events and programs throughout the year to make art accessible to everyone, regardless of background, disability, age, or experience.

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Currently competing in his first full WEC Hypercar campaign, the #19 GMR-001 Hypercar driver has spent the inaugural season building his experience with the team's new prototype alongside his teammates. As the championship moves into its penultimate round, the Spanish driver spoke about racing in front of his home crowd, the learning curve of the GMR-001 Hypercar and the team's continuous development.

Racing at Home

The addition of Barcelona to the WEC schedule came as a welcome surprise for Juncadella, offering him the chance to compete locally in the top prototype class.

“It means a lot to race at home for me. It’s very special and very unexpected. Before the calendar came out, I never thought I was going to race in a Hypercar in Spain and also in my first year with Genesis Magma Racing,” says Juncadella.

“It’s really special to have family, friends and all the home fans together. I think there will be a lot of new fans to the sport that would love to see the race up close.”

Having family, friends, and local fans trackside naturally enhances the dynamic of a race weekend, and Juncadella welcomes the support.

“Whenever I race at home, having the attention of people and having family and friends close by, I feel like it’s added pressure. But it’s a very beautiful pressure. It’s nice to feel that there’s people there for you, and when you’re driving, you know they are watching you, and I always feel like it gives me an extra boost.”

He is also pleased that Spanish motorsport fans will be able to see the Hypercar category up close for the first time.

“Basically, this is an opportunity for me to be able to race in front of my friends, my family, and all the fans that are following me but not able to come to any of the other races. This time they will have the opportunity to be there and just see how cool the WEC is with such amazing machines like Hypercars. It’s the first time that this class is going to be racing in Spain and in Barcelona, so it’s a very special moment. That’s what I’m mostly looking forward to.”

Adjusting to Hypercar Machinery

While Juncadella has built an extensive background in GT and prototype racing, competing in the top Hypercar class requires managing a far more complex vehicle setup on the fly.

“The biggest adjustment in my first Hypercar season has been how to manage all the systems that are not part of GT racing. Hypercars are technically very complex, so understanding these systems and learning how to use the tools available to adjust the car’s balance and maximize its strengths has been a really interesting and rewarding experience,” Juncadella explains.

“It took me a couple of races to understand certain things. But I think I’m getting up to speed with it. Being able to take the first stints this year is also a new thing for me and something very cool, very nice to understand, because it can decide the outcome of a six-hour race,” he elaborates. There’s a lot you can lose in the first two hours — not a lot you can gain, but there’s a lot you can do. So just learning these things has probably been the biggest challenge,” he adds.

Juncadella points to the team’s engineers and the experience of his co-drivers as key factors in helping him get up to speed.

“The engineers have played a massive role in helping me to understand the systems and the tools I can use. I would say even more so with my teammates, because you spend a lot of time during the race weekend with them. There’s a lot of things you can discuss and talk through, and having two very well-accomplished, experienced Hypercar teammates has been a massive benefit for me and I really rely on their knowledge.”

Team Progress and Reliability

Through the initial six rounds of the season, Genesis Magma Racing has focused on establishing operational consistency and refining its baseline package.

“I think the most important lesson is to keep building on the foundation of what we created as a brand. We made a very competitive car, and we made a very strong package to start with. Then there’s just little things that we need to keep learning every race: strategy, different things that happen during the race, different outcomes.

“WEC is not easy in that sense. A lot of things can happen during the race, and as a team, we need to be able to execute at the highest level. Learning from every event and bringing everything we can take away into the next race is going to make us stronger. And the most important thing is, I think we have a competitive car. Because if the biggest issue were the car right now, then our future wouldn’t look as bright,” Juncadella muses with a grin.

The team’s most tangible progress has come in mechanical reliability, despite an early-season testing schedule disrupted by calendar changes.

“I think our reliability is the thing that has improved the most. It was one of our limitations early on. We didn’t have much time for testing with Qatar. One of our biggest worries was reliability going into Le Mans, because we didn’t really have the time to do enough races before that,” Juncadella reflects.

“But reliability has not really been an issue for the last three events after Le Mans. That’s really cool to see. Reliability isn’t something we’ve had to talk about lately, and that’s a really big thing as a team — especially in endurance racing where you need a robust and reliable car. I think that’s what has improved the most.”

Looking ahead, ongoing work remains centered on refining driver ergonomics and electronics management.

“The team is still looking forward to improving in many areas. On the systems side, we keep exploring what we can do better to help the driver be more comfortable in the car. I think that’s the area that needs the most tuning. But again, I think that’s a bit of a medium- to long-term development. When you speak to other drivers and understand the first year of development of their cars, you realize that there are a lot of things that take time, and it’s something that we probably cannot fully solve in time for Barcelona. But we can still make steps towards our goals.”

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya Challenge

Although the team tested at the circuit last December and once again in August, Juncadella expects tire degradation and strategy to play a major role over a full race distance.

“Racing at a new track is going to be a challenge for everybody. Luckily, we tested there in December last year, so we have a bit of an idea of how to handle the car. But it’s not the same when you are racing as when you are testing.

“I think it will be a challenge for everybody. This track has a lot of things that can make the race exciting. It’s always a high-degradation race, so that’s going to call for different strategies. We are going to see lots of action, I’m pretty sure,” he says, chuckling.

Assessing the characteristics of the 4.657-kilometer layout, he expects the GMR-001 Hypercar to perform well through the circuit's faster sections.

“Barcelona is a track that will suit our car nicely, especially the high-speed corners. We’ve always been very strong aerodynamically, and we have a very strong car in those medium- and high-speed corners. What’s most tricky is probably the low speed ones, so Turn 5 and Turn 10 are probably our biggest challenges right now. But it’s only two corners, so I think all the other corners are going to be very strong.”

Rather than targeting a specific finishing position, Juncadella emphasizes the importance of executing a clean, disciplined race.

“I wouldn’t say that I would consider a good race to be just scoring points or a certain result. I don’t like to think too much about results, because results depend on many things that are sometimes out of your control,” he says, preferring to stay in the moment.

“If we can keep building on everything we’ve done in past races, analyze what has gone wrong in recent events, improve on that, avoid making the same mistakes, and just have a smooth race without penalties — while trying to maximize the package we have — I’m pretty sure we’re going to be fighting for a top result. We just need to focus on the little things, and the big things will come later on.”

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Coach doors have long represented a design aspiration for luxury vehicles — yet they rarely survive the transition from concept cars to production due to the significant engineering challenges. The GV90 stands as a notable exception, bringing this design known as the Neolun Arch Gate to its Neolun variant.

However, this achievement introduces an engineering paradox: To create the GV90 Neolun’s unprecedented sense of openness, Genesis had to rethink the conventional B-pillar — the vertical support structure that has anchored vehicle safety for over a century. How does a vehicle maintain structural integrity and safety without this critical load-bearing component?

Genesis set out to overcome these constraints with the GV90 Neolun, creating the world’s first coach-door SUV with front and rear doors that open and close independently — without a conventional B-pillar.

Safe Entry and Exit

The mechanism behind the Neolun Arch Gate’s opening sequence is a dual-motion hinge applied to the rear doors. Rather than relying on a conventional opening action, the rear doors first slide slightly outward before opening with a smooth, rotating motion. This allows them to open independently without impeding the front doors.

This single, compact assembly is engineered to support a rear door weighing nearly 70 kilograms without wobbling while executing both sliding and rotating movements simultaneously. High-strength cast iron was used for the center block, where the door’s load concentrates at a single point, to prevent shaking.

Aluminum was utilized for the largest housing component with its thickness precisely adjusted long the load-bearing path, achieving a weight reduction of approximately 20% without compromising target performance. As the door operates, more than 500 ball bearings roll along the rail, distributing the door's weight to ensure it opens and closes smoothly.

“Just as the Neolun Arch Gate offers a vast sense of openness, we really thought about safety,” said Daehee Lee, Head of Genesis Body Design Group. “We have designed a completely new structure, away from the conventional vehicle body.”

Rather than simply eliminating the pillar, Genesis integrated its protective functions directly into the vehicle's doors and body structure.

Hidden B-Pillar and Roll-Cage Architecture

The Neolun Arch Gate incorporates the world’s first hidden B-pillar structure. Inside each door, Genesis installed 1.8 GPa-rated ultra-high-strength steel dual beams in an intersecting vertical and horizontal configuration. To distribute and deflect forces during a side impact, four latches connect the body to the door, supported by an upper stopper and a lower impact hook.

At the same time, Genesis increased the proportion of aluminum in the GV90’s body to 72%, up from 35% in previous models. To maintain rigidity with lighter materials, engineers adapted structural principles from motorsport.

“Race cars encase the cabin in a robust framework to protect the driver during collisions and rollovers,” Daehee Lee explained. “The GV90 Neolun reinterprets this roll-cage principle and integrates it into the vehicle's body structure. Although invisible from the outside, an additional framework has been constructed within the body structure to envelop the passenger space.”

This framework consists of 1.5 GPa-rated ultra-high-strength steel tubes, high-rigidity structural foam, and an integrated ring structure combining horizontal and vertical members. At key mounting locations, including the joints for the heavy rear door hinges, large high-pressure aluminum die-cast reinforcements provide additional stability.

According to in-house testing, these measures ensure the GV90 Neolun achieves 12% higher body rigidity than the standard GV90 swing-door model, while matching its crash performance.

“It became lighter yet stronger. Despite adopting an entirely new structure without a conventional B-pillar, the structure is actually more robust,” Lee noted. “There has been absolutely no compromise on safety for the sake of achieving a sense of openness.”

Addressing Real-World Crash Scenarios

This focus on structural integrity builds upon Genesis's proven track record in automotive safety. Since 2021 — the luxury marque’s first year in the U.S. market — Genesis has earned the highest safety rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for every new model it has launched across its lineup of sedans, SUVs, and electric vehicles.

Yet, for the GV90, the engineering team aimed to go beyond standardized regulatory testing.

“Achieving the highest rating in global safety assessments is certainly a significant accomplishment,” stated Seungmok Lee, Vice President and Head of the Integrated Safety Development Group.

“No matter how robust the vehicle body is, passenger safety cannot be guaranteed once an occupant leaves the protective space of the cabin,” Seungmok Lee pointed out.

To mitigate this risk, Genesis developed and applied the world’s first roof airbag designed to cover the entire glass vision roof. The airbag deploys forward along side-mounted wires from the rear of the cabin when a rollover is detected. Tested under rigorous conditions — including lateral-tilt rollovers and 110-kilometer-per-hour ramp tests — the system helps prevent occupant ejection, shields passengers from glass fragments, and cushions impacts against the roof structure.

12-Airbag System and Structural Survival Margins

Complementing the roof airbag is an advanced 12-airbag system designed to protect passengers across a range of seating positions.

Dual-Depth Front Passenger Airbag: Deploys in two stages based on occupant posture, maintaining protection even when reclined in a relaxation position.

Seat Cushion Airbags: Prevent occupants from sliding beneath the seatbelt during a collision.

Extended Side and Curtain Airbags: First- and second-row side airbags feature expanded head coverage to protect passengers with reclined seatbacks, while curtain airbags extend to the third row.

This restraint system is supported by substantial structural margins. The GV90 achieves a roof strength of 13,924 kilogram-force to maintain cabin space during rollovers. Additionally, in side-impact evaluations, the vehicle offered at least 320 millimeters of occupant survival space, well above the 180-millimeter standard required for an “Excellent” rating.

Underbody and Battery Protection

Developed on the Genesis-dedicated eMP platform, the GV90 also features specialized structures to protect its 123.5-kilowatt-hour high-voltage battery pack and cabin during frontal impacts.

Frontal Deflector Structure: In small-overlap frontal collisions, front-mounted deflectors redirect impact forces sideways, helping guide the vehicle away from obstacles and preventing direct loads from penetrating the passenger cabin.

Slider and Protector System: During a high-speed frontal crash, a lower slider structure directs heavy subframe and motor components to slide underneath the battery pack. In front of the battery, a protective structural crossmember helps protect the battery pack from curbs and road obstacles, guiding the vehicle over them.

Cell Safety and Pre-Diagnostics: Within the battery pack, cell-to-cell thermal barriers prevent heat from spreading to adjacent cells, while a cloud-based Battery Management System (BMS) pre-diagnostic function monitors battery health and notifies drivers of potential issues in advance.

Prioritizing Customer Safety

The GV90’s “invisible armor” is more than a structural idea. It represents Genesis’ conviction that the most meaningful luxury technologies should work quietly, intuitively and with purpose — supporting the customer without demanding attention.

As the marque enters a new era of electrified flagship mobility, the GV90 demonstrates how sophistication can be expressed through both what is seen and what remains unseen, in line with the vehicle’s reductive design approach. Its design creates a sense of welcome, while its engineering helps sustain the confidence behind that experience. Together, they define an evolved expression of Genesis hospitality.

“From a 12-airbag system designed to respond to various collision scenarios to a robust body structure that protects the cabin against various impact scenarios, all these technologies were perfected under a single philosophy: prioritizing customer safety above all else. Even as we rapidly approach the era of future mobility, Genesis will steadfastly uphold its promise to deliver the safest vehicles,” concluded Seungmok Lee.

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BARCELONA, Spain, Oct. 9, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing will be back on familiar ground at the 6 Hours of Barcelona as the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) returns to Europe for the final leg of the 2026 season. The team’s experience at the venue gives them a strong platform to build on as they aim to continue the positive momentum after recent strong performances.

Home Advantage and Testing Experience to Give Team Boost

For Dani Juncadella, part of the driver lineup for the #19 GMR-001 Hypercar, the trip to Barcelona is a home race. Dani, who delivered one of his strongest stints of the season to start the race at the 6 Hours of Fuji, was born in and still lives in the city. The circuit was also where Dani’s journey with Genesis Magma Racing began. Alongside Jamie Chadwick and Mathys Jaubert, now a driver for the #17 GMR-001 Hypercar, he was part of the Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory team that took on the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) in 2025, giving the team its first on-track action in preparation for a WEC debut.

Barcelona hosted the opening round of the ELMS season, where the three Trajectory drivers shocked the paddock by winning the LMP2 class in their first race together with little to no previous Prototype experience.

Less than 12 months ago, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was also the site of a crucial test for the GMR-001 Hypercar. The site of some of the last running before the car was homologated for its debut racing season, the test saw the team pass a crucial reliability milestone with 8,000 kilometers on a single G8MR 3.2l V8 engine. The accomplishment set the team up well for the racing season and laid the foundation for the excellent reliability that has been the foundation of Genesis Magma Racing’s strong performances this year.

For the 6 Hours of Barcelona, the team’s main goal will be to add operational strength to that reliability, and the pace of the GMR-001 Hypercar shown throughout this season. In recent races, the team has felt that small mistakes — both in pitlane and on track — have prevented the drivers from collecting the results that the pace of the car and the overall performance of the team deserves.

Genesis Magma Racing enjoyed their best starting positions at the 6 Hours of Fuji and one of the strongest performances so far in a race, with the #19 GMR-001 Hypercar holding a spot in the top five for much of the race before dropping from the points in the final hour. Recognizing the work to do to score a result that matches the team’s potential and ambition, the weeks since the 6 Hours of Fuji have been spent analyzing data from the race in Japan, identifying areas where the small, but crucial, improvements can be made to lift the GMR-001 Hypercar further up the order.

Genesis Magma Racing Team Management Quotes

Gabriele Tarquini, Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director said: “We need to bring together all the positives we have seen during the season. Watching the performance of the GMR-001 Hypercar, we are close to the pace. In Fuji, we again showed good pace. We now need to make small improvements, because it's clear that we haven’t executed the recent races as well as the performance of the car deserves, so we need to improve. But it's not something big that needs to change; we just need to better manage the different key moments during the race. They are easy mistakes, because when you are trying to go as fast as possible, you can make a small mistake. I know as a driver. It's a question of putting oil on the different gears already turning in the team. That's the way to go.

Justin Taylor, Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer said: “We've had two opportunities to test at Barcelona: in December 2025 and most recently August of this year. While the conditions between those sessions were quite different from what we will have for the race, both gave us information we can draw on. That said, testing and racing are different things and we're cautious about reading too much into findings from testing. Tire wear will be a defining factor across the weekend. Barcelona is very demanding on the left sides due to the high-speed right handers. Managing tire saving versus pace to get the best average times over a full stint is a challenge we're still working to understand. We've made genuine progress, which we want to build on in Barcelona, but we remain realistic that there's still a lot of work to do, and this circuit, along with our competition, will tell us clearly where we stand.”

Driver Quote - #17 GMR-001 Hypercar

Mathys Jaubert said: “Barcelona is a circuit I know quite well. I’ve done a lot of laps there, especially last year, when we took our first LMP2 victory. The tests we did there, both last December and this summer, will also help us a lot, with the setup direction we can start from. Racing is very different, and we will have differing conditions for the weekend, but the running will help with our understanding of the specific characteristics of the circuit, and the tire degradation that we expect to be big part of strategy. Combining the experience we’ve gained throughout the season with those tests, I think we arrive in Barcelona better prepared than at the other rounds. I’m really looking forward to getting back on track and seeing what the car is really capable of there.”

Driver Quote - #19 GMR-001 Hypercar

Dani Juncadella said: “It means a lot for me to be racing the GMR-001 Hypercar at home in Barcelona. It’s very special and quite unexpected because of the calendar changes. It’s always special to have family and friends at the track. It does add some pressure, but it’s a very beautiful pressure – it gives me an extra boost. It’s the first time that WEC will be racing in Spain and Barcelona, so I’m sure there will be some new fans to the series who will get to see the racing up close, and I’m looking forward to being a big part of that. It’s going to be a challenge for everybody on a new track. We have some experience, but it’s not the same when you are racing. The track has a few things that can make the racing exciting – it’s always a high degradation circuit, which will create some different strategies and give us some opportunities to show we’ve learnt from the previous rounds.”

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‘Flesh Impact,’ supported by Genesis to commemorate 100th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe’s birth to be screened at 2026 Busan International Film Festival

Directed by actress and filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal, 17-minute short film ‘Flesh Impact’ premiered at 2026 Venice International Film Festival and will play a second time at Busan International Film Festival

About Flesh Impact

「 2026 」 DIRECTED BY MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL, STARRING DAKOTA JOHNSON AND ELLEN BURSTYN.

“Flesh Impact” is a short film from director Maggie Gyllenhaal, featuring Dakota Johnson, Ellen Burstyn, Peter Sarsgaard and Sepideh Moafi.

The title comes from a remark once made to Marilyn Monroe, saying that she had “flesh impact,” referring to her extraordinary magnetism — the combination of beauty, sensuality and star quality that made Monroe impossible to ignore.

Gyllenhaal’s film imagines an alternate future for Monroe where she lives to the age of 100. Played by Ellen Burstyn, she arrives at a modest New York casting session to audition for a role intended for a woman in her twenties. When her age is questioned, she asks, “Why not?” — then tells the story of her rise to stardom to make the case that talent, experience and the ability to inhabit a role should matter more than her age.

The casting panel slowly realizes who she is. Her account is intercut with scenes of Marilyn in her younger years, played by Dakota Johnson, revealing the distance between the enduring public fantasy of Marilyn and a woman who has lived long enough to understand its consequences.

As the older Marilyn recounts her early career, the attention her looks attracted and the men who surrounded her, the film examines what fame demanded of her. It also asks whether the conditions that shaped her experience have truly disappeared. In an industry still preoccupied with actresses’ bodies, desirability, choices and public images, Marilyn’s story feels less like a relic of Hollywood’s past than a challenge to its present.

The imagined audition gives Marilyn an opportunity history denied her: to speak for herself. Though age has transformed her physical appearance, it has not diminished her power as a performer. Her humor, presence and charisma make clear that her value cannot be contained by the image that made her famous. “Flesh Impact” ultimately invites audiences to see Marilyn Monroe not simply as an icon of beauty or desire, but as a perceptive, resilient and formidable artist.

Genesis & Marilyn Monroe

On the occasion of Marilyn Monroe’s centennial, Genesis honors her pioneering spirit, connecting it with the brand’s vision and presenting a new definition of luxury.

Genesis has built its brand value through a distinctive philosophy, much like Marilyn Monroe, who left a lasting mark through her singular perspective. The two share a parallel journey of forging distinctive identities that continue to resonate across generations.

Just as Monroe dreamed fiercely, shattered convention and forged a new path that remains etched in memory a century later, Genesis has spent the last decade relentlessly innovating and pushing forward in pursuit of its bold ambition to become a globally recognized luxury automotive brand from Korea. As a result, Genesis has emerged as a global brand setting a new standard for luxury.

Following the “Manifesting Marilyn” exhibition at Genesis House New York in June, Genesis continues to express its brand values through production support for the film “Flesh Impact,” which shines a light on the lesser-known facets of Monroe’s legacy.

People, Characters and Works Referenced

The following people, characters and works are referenced by Monroe in “Flesh Impact,” offering a glimpse into the artists, figures and cultural world that shaped her life and legacy.

• Clark Gable: William Clark Gable was an American actor often referred to as the “King of Hollywood”.

• Arthur Miller: Arthur Miller was an American playwright and essayist in the 20th-century American theater. He was married to Marilyn Monroe from 1956–1961.

• A Streetcar Named Desire: “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1947) is a play written by Tennessee Williams.

• Blanche DuBois: Blanche DuBois is a fictional character in Tennessee Williams’ 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

• Vivien Leigh: Vivien Leigh was a British actress who starred as Blanche DuBois in the film adaptation of “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1951).

• Marlon Brando: Marlon Brando was an American actor, widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential performers in the history of cinema.

• Jane Russell: Jane Russell was an American actress, model, and singer who was considered one of Hollywood’s leading icons in the 1940s and 1950s.

• Darryl F. Zanuck: Darryl F. Zanuck was an American film producer and studio executive.

• Lee Strasberg: Lee Strasberg was an American acting coach and actor.

• Norman Mailer: Norman Mailer was an American writer, journalist, and filmmaker.

• Orpheus Descending: “Orpheus Descending” (1957) is a three-act play by Tennessee Williams.

• Carol Cutrere: Carol Cutrere is a character in Tennessee Williams’ “Orpheus Descending.”

• Tennessee Williams: Tennessee Williams was an American playwright and screenwriter.

• Cypress Hills: Cypress Hills Cemetery is located in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City.

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By blending innovative design and advanced technology with Genesis’ uniquely Korean hospitality values, the GV90 transforms the vehicle from a mere mode of transportation into an avant-garde sanctuary on wheels. From the moment you approach its commanding silhouette, it becomes clear that this is not an SUV you simply ride in; it is an architectural space you inhabit.

Neolun Arch Gate

The experience begins before you even step inside, with a grand entrance. The GV90 Neolun completely discards traditional B-pillars in favor of its dramatic Neolun Arch Gate coach doors. The front and rear doors swing open in opposite directions, revealing a spacious portal devoid of the conventional column.

The door system incorporates a hidden B-pillar integrated into the doorframe and a newly developed dual-motion hinge mechanism. The rear door first slides slightly outward, then rotates open smoothly. This maximizes entry and exit convenience for rear-seat passengers and prevents the rear doors from impeding the front doors during opening and closing. The opening sequence itself becomes part of the luxury experience — a choreographed gesture that announces arrival with refinement. The doors can be opened and closed from within by simply pressing a button.

Despite the absence of a B-pillar, internal testing shows that the GV90 Neolun achieves crash safety performance and side-impact protection equivalent to vehicles with standard pillars.

Eliminating the Start Button

Once inside, the traditional automotive starting ritual is entirely absent. As the driver pulls the handle to close the door, the vehicle powers on and the door closes automatically. Then, a series of intuitive visual signals unfolds: the Motion Column Shifter transitions from the 12 o'clock to the 2 o'clock position, the Crystal Sphere Controller rotates to reveal an integrated control interface, and tweeter covers on the dashboard part gracefully to the sides. The vehicle communicates readiness for departure through choreographed movement rather than mechanical buttons.

To initiate Drive mode, the driver simply presses the brake pedal. This streamlined approach eliminates unnecessary interaction steps, freeing dashboard space and reducing visual clutter while creating a seamless transition from entry to driving.

A Luxury Lounge in Motion

When the car is parked, the cabin transforms into a first-class lounge. The front seats are equipped with the unique ability to swivel 180 degrees, allowing them to turn around and face the rear-seat occupants to create an intimate, face-to-face lounge configuration — a seating arrangement designed for conversation, business meetings, or social engagement.

Each seat features a deep-recline function, power-deployable leg rests, and a therapeutic massage system packed with 15 individual air cells that deliver deep, pulse-vibration relief. This is paired with a real wood veneer floor in the second row that serves as both an aesthetic element and a functional comfort system. Inspired by traditional Korean “ondol” — an underfloor heating method used in traditional Korean houses — it also incorporates a radiant heating system to provide further warmth to the interior.

The heating is integrated not only into the floor but also into the first- and second-row console armrests, side panels, and door trims, creating an enveloping sense of warmth that feels distinctly different from traditional automotive climate control. This approach provides comfort without the dry, directed air streams associated with conventional HVAC systems.

The mobile hospitality concept extends to refreshments on the go. A built-in refrigerator maintains cold beverages at optimal serving temperatures, while heated cup holders ensure warm beverages remain at comfortable temperatures throughout journeys. These amenities are complemented by integrated foldaway tables positioned within the second row, as well as large illuminated vanity mirrors in the front passenger visor and flush-mounted directly into the back of the front-row headrests for rear passengers.

A Private Sanctuary

The GV90 Neolun Executive Suite includes a Comfort Partition that separates the second-row seating area from the trunk compartment. This barrier effectively insulates the cabin from noise originating in the luggage area, allowing occupants to conduct business discussions, social conversations, or to rest without external noise intrusion, maintaining the intimate atmosphere throughout extended journeys. Combined with the vehicle's integrated rear roll blinds, the partition creates a private room on wheels, preventing anyone looking through the rear windows from seeing the passengers.

The Smart Vision Roof utilizes Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) technology to provide independent transparency control across six distinct zones. This capability allows occupants to manage roof transparency according to preference — maximizing visual openness during pleasant weather or creating a more enclosed atmosphere when desired.

In-cabin Cinema Experience

At the center of the cabin sits the pop-up center OLED Cinematic Display — an innovative screen that adapts to driving and park states.

During normal driving, the 23.6-inch display seamlessly integrates the instrument cluster, navigation functions, and media controls. When the vehicle is parked, pressing the display extension button on the center fascia raises the screen, transforming it into a 24.6-inch display — approximately 1.7 times larger than the driving configuration. This expansion provides an immersive screen suitable for entertainment, information consumption, and multimedia content.

The system operates on Pleos Connect, an Android Automotive Operating System-based platform that integrates Gleo AI — a large language model-powered agent that understands natural language and learns occupant preferences over time. Climate preferences, entertainment selections, and personalized settings can be adjusted through dialogue. The system anticipates needs based on usage patterns, creating an adaptive environment that evolves with the driver.

Bang & Olufsen Premier 3D Sound System

Complementing the onboard cinema is a Bang & Olufsen Premier 3D sound system featuring 25 speakers positioned throughout the cabin. This system creates a 7.1.4-channel Dolby Atmos configuration that delivers spatial audio immersion rivaling concert hall performance.

Acoustic Lens Technology (ALT) tweeters positioned at both ends of the dashboard work in concert with four headliner speakers, mid-range speakers, and strategically positioned subwoofers to create a three-dimensional soundscape that envelops occupants.

The system incorporates Virtual Venue technology, which recreates the signature acoustics of iconic performance venues — Boston Symphony Hall, Wembley Stadium, and others. Beosonic enables passengers to personalize the sound atmosphere and tone, creating a listening environment custom calibrated to each occupant's preferences.

Every element of the GV90 — from its hidden B-pillar architecture to its adaptive personalization features — reflects a deliberate philosophy. Genesis' “Son-nim” hospitality, rooted in Korean culture, centers on customers as honored guests. Applied to the GV90, this means each feature is designed to anticipate occupants’ needs.

The GV90 demonstrates how this philosophy translates into practical luxury. Rather than pursuing excess, the vehicle focuses on refinement and connection — a well-curated space where the journey itself becomes more meaningful. It is a clear reimagining of what occupants expect from flagship mobility: a vehicle that respects their time, understands their comfort, and treats every trip as an opportunity to provide genuine, attentive, and luxurious care.

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If experience has become the new currency of luxury, the obvious question is what role the product still plays.

At Semafor's Business on Luxury, hosted at Genesis House in New York, several speakers pushed back on the idea that products have become secondary.

Lisa Sequino runs the global makeup brands at The Estée Lauder Companies. Jenna Lyons spent twenty-seven years at J.Crew and now serves as executive creative director at FundamentalCo.

Their argument was not that experiences are overrated. It was that experiences only work when something meaningful sits underneath them.

The Product Still Has to Matter

To that point, Sequino shared her views with a list of physical qualities.

"I think any luxury consumer wants certain things," she said. "You want products that feel amazing, whether it's product performance; they look amazing; the package you're proud to take out of your handbag or put on your vanity; something that you can connect to that goes beyond the physical product."

Her next point matters because it shifts the discussion away from price.

"You don't have to do that with a $100 lipstick," Sequino said. "You can do that with scent. You can do that with taste. You can do that through color expression on the package. But it is very much a five-sense way of designing."

Asked directly why anyone should care how a lipstick smells or tastes, she gave the most personal answer of the evening.

"Because maybe that swipe of lipstick was the best part of your day, after missing a cab or a subway, or a child falling, or having a bad day at work."

She attributed the principle to Leonard Lauder, with whom she worked for much of her career.

"He would always say, when the economy went down, lipstick always went up — because people still want to be happy and still have a piece of luxury that may not cost them $100, but that $25 is an investment that can keep them in a positive mindset."

She then described the standard she uses with her teams.

"I always say to the team, if you can't put a brand name on it, then it's not discernible enough."

It means a product should still be recognizable without the logo. That is harder than creating something that simply photographs well.

Sequino applies the same discipline to the challenge of distribution. Brands no longer decide who talks about them. The product has to survive being described by people who have no connection to the company.

"If someone off the street can describe the beauty of this product," she said, "you did your job."

What People See Through

Lyons approached the issue from the opposite direction. Rather than asking what makes a product good, she focused on what makes people stop believing.

"I think when I think about brands that have staying power in the luxury space, oftentimes it is about heritage," she said. "It is about craft; it is about something that you can believe in. It's something that you know will stand the test of time. It's something that has a core being that actually you can believe in; there's integrity there."

And then the warning.

"I do think, when it's manufactured, people see right through it."

Asked where quality comes from, Lyons rejected the idea that there is a single answer.

"It's a different answer depending on what you're buying, so it's not a one-size-fits-all," she said.

For something simple, such as a button-down shirt, the fabric is the story. For a tailored garment, it is not.

She applies the same thinking to hospitality.

Traveling for J.Crew, Lyons regularly stayed at some of the most luxurious properties in the world. What struck her was how often the experience felt disconnected from the place itself.

"If I go to Singapore for the first time, staying in the most luxurious places isn't necessarily giving me a sign of what that place is about," she said. "I'm not necessarily seeing the people who live there. I'm seeing people who are having the same experience I am."

What she values instead is the local, human element.

"I want to meet the chef on the corner whose whole family works there, and they've been making the same thing for years, and this is their special dish."

Knowing Your Limits

The clearest example of this principle came from a company that experimented, learned from the result, and adjusted accordingly.

Nespresso operates around 45 boutiques in the United States. They function as tasting environments, with trained coffee specialists guiding customers through origin and terroir. In some larger locations, including Beverly Hills, the brand expanded the concept and operated full cafés.

Jessica Padula, Vice President of Marketing and Head of Sustainability at Nespresso USA, explained why that changed.

"We are not restaurateurs," she said. "We're a coffee business first and foremost; we're not even operators in the sense of a coffee shop."

The lesson was simpler than the original ambition.

"We've learned that we're really good at the to-go element," Padula said. "But we're not a restaurant, and so let's stay away from that. Let's really scale and focus on what we're good at, and allow our coffee to be the basis of maybe an experience that somebody else wants to create in those environments."

The decision clarified the role Nespresso wanted to play.

One in four Nespresso customers, Padula noted, first encountered the brand in a hotel room. In those environments, Nespresso controls the coffee but not the setting.

Its focus is on the details.

"We're additive and complementary," she said.

The emphasis is on how the product appears and functions in the moment.

"Are they capsules? How are they displayed? Does it look like a jewelry box, to continue this feeling of luxury?"

Padula applies the same discipline to partnerships.

Discussing the brand's Espresso Martini scented candle collaboration with Hotel Lobby Candle, she spoke about the importance of knowing where extension should end.

"Thinking about what equity is yours and yours alone in the brand, and where you are going to borrow or extend your equity into partnerships," she said. "Otherwise you will stand for everything and stand for nothing."

The Common Thread

That brings the discussion back to Bauer.

In part one, he argued that abundance has changed what is rare. Here is the full version:

"The premium increasingly belongs to brands with the judgment to decide what should be allowed to exist," he said. "There's so much of everything; everyone can now have access to everything, and brands can make just about anything. I think the judgment layer that sits on top of that, around what should even be allowed to exist, is going to define it."

The examples had been there all evening.

Sequino deciding MAC Cosmetics would enter Sephora with lip rather than a full assortment, and getting it done in nine months, a timeline she called unheard of for a company that size. Padula deciding Nespresso would not operate cafés. Lyons deciding craft is the filter through which everything else is assessed.

Bauer argued that these choices are increasingly where brands compete.

Bauer's own framework is a three-part test he puts to chief executives and investors. He abbreviates it as SPA: species, purpose, advantages.

What kind of company are we, and what could we become? What is it that only we do? And do we have what we need to live up to those claims?

Bauer argues that aligning those answers serves an important purpose.

It helps prevent a series of small decisions from gradually weakening a brand. Everyone using the same words to describe the same ideas, he said, "stops you from making decisions that dilute the potency."

He pointed to Aesop as an example of that discipline in practice. A designer spends two years at the company before touching packaging. Even a bouquet of flowers in a store is approved by head office from a photograph.

His conclusion for investors applies equally to operators: this is "brand as principle, rather than brand as a template."

Where Genesis Stands

Experiences do not stand apart from products. They depend on them.

Development of the GV90 began with a question about the passenger experience: how people enter, exit, and use the cabin.

Answering that question meant rethinking a feature long treated as standard.

The B-pillar, the structural post between the front and rear doors, supports the roof and helps protect occupants in a crash. As Amy Marentic, Chief Marketing Officer of Genesis Motor America, put it, B-pillars "have been in vehicles since I was a young engineer 30 years ago."

"Many manufacturers have tried for years to remove the B-pillar, and it hasn't been possible," she said.

On the GV90, it is concealed within the doors and, according to Marentic, the vehicle is safer than a conventional equivalent.

At Genesis, hospitality is often discussed through the Korean concept of “son-nim,” or honored guest. The idea is straightforward: consider a guest's comfort at every step of the experience.

That principle shaped the thinking behind the GV90. The pillarless coach doors create a wider opening and a more welcoming entry point, especially when passengers get in and out.

Delivering that experience required overcoming a longstanding engineering challenge. The mindset behind that effort is closely aligned with “ha-myeon-dwen-da (하면 된다),” the philosophy associated with Hyundai Group founder Chung Ju-yung.

Marentic translated it simply as: "anything is possible."

For Genesis, experiences are not treated as something separate from the product. They are built into the product itself. Every design decision, engineering solution, and customer touchpoint is expected to contribute to the experience of being welcomed and cared for.

The product has to earn the promise.

The New Scarcity

Across four conversations, four executives identified a different form of scarcity.

Bauer pointed to the importance of making the right judgment. Marentic pointed to time. Sequino pointed to discernibility, the ability to recognize a product without its logo. Lyons pointed to craft and integrity.

The answers differed, but they pointed in a similar direction.

When products are easier to make, easier to distribute, and easier to compare, decisions begin to matter more.

In part one, that scarcity appeared as time and meaningful experiences. In part two, it appeared as craft, discernibility and judgment. Together, they point to the same challenge: knowing what is worth creating in the first place.

It's not about what can be made, but what should be made.

Reporting drawn from Semafor's Business on Luxury, hosted at Genesis House, New York. Market data from the Bain & Company–Altagamma Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study, spring 2026 update.

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The event ran from Sept. 24-27 in conjunction with the 6 Hours of Fuji, the sixth round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season in which the luxury marque’s Genesis Magma Racing team made its debut this year. The Live Festival is an expansion of the brand's customer experience to make motorsports more accessible to the Korean public.

Genesis had previously introduced its Genesis Magma Racing team to its home market at the 2026 Busan Mobility Show in June and through a special exhibition at Genesis Studio Hanam in July. With the Live Festival, the brand created a multifaceted stage at Starfield Hanam where mallgoers came face-to-face with the actual hypercar that completed the 24 Hours of Le Mans, took on interactive challenges, and gathered to cheer on the GMR-001 Hypercars as they raced at the Fuji Speedway in neighboring Japan.

The Grime and Glory of Le Mans

Upon entering the South Atrium at Starfield Hanam, visitors immediately noticed the Magma Orange-liveried race car positioned at the center of the space.

The vehicle on display was the #19 GMR-001 Hypercar that competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans last June. Covering 372 laps and approximately 5,069 kilometers over a grueling 24 hours, the car crossed the finish line in 13th place — marking a defining milestone by completing the legendary race on Genesis Magma Racing’s first Le Mans outing.

Up close, the GMR-001 Hypercar stood in stark contrast to pristine show cars typically seen at motor shows. Scratches and stains from hours on the track remained layered across the front, sides and wheel arches, clearly visible against the vivid Magma Orange livery.

The exhibition gave visitors a rare opportunity to closely examine a race car that would normally appear briefly on a screen. The lore of Le Mans, previously known only through final standings and records, took concrete form in the vehicle before them.

On the second floor of the mall in Genesis Studio Hanam, the Genesis Magma GT3 Concept was displayed in Korea for the first time. Initially unveiled at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, the Magma GT3 Concept points to Genesis’ potential to further explore its motorsports and high-performance programs. If the GMR-001 Hypercar represents where Genesis Magma Racing is today, the Magma GT3 Concept offers a glimpse of what comes next.

Racing Continues at Fuji in Second Half of WEC Season

As the Live Festival was held in conjunction with the sixth round of the WEC, the 6 Hours of Fuji, visitors got an early look at the race weekend which would begin just days later. Gallery walls at the first-floor event space and in Genesis Studio Hanam introduced viewers to the Fuji Speedway circuit, with a rundown of the race schedule, competing vehicles and driver lineup.

Fuji Speedway is a 4.563-kilometer circuit with 16 corners and a 1.475-kilometer main straight. Visitors explored the track layout and race information, and examined the #19 Hypercar that finished at Le Mans, allowing them to picture the #17 and #19 GMR-001 Hypercars competing on the global stage.

On the final day of the event, a live watch party for the 6 Hours of Fuji heightened the excitement with guests coming together to watch the race.

Immersive Motorsports Experience

The festival transitioned from visual spectacle to physical action as visitors stepped into the driver’s seat. Designed as a stamp tour, three hands-on missions — the Batak Challenge, Time Stop Challenge and GMR-001 Sim Racing — let attendees put their own instincts to the test.

The Batak Challenge challenged participants to strike randomly illuminating buttons against a ticking clock, testing their reflexes and alertness. Next, the Time Stop Challenge had visitors trying to stop a running clock within a targeted time. Together, the two intuitive missions highlighted skills essential to racing: split-second reactions and precision timing.

Additionally, sim racing put visitors behind the steering wheel of the GMR-001 Hypercar on a virtual circuit. Their lap times varied based on where they braked before entering a corner and when they accelerated again. After each run, the leaderboard immediately displayed their lap times and rankings, turning the experience into a challenge to go even faster.

Participants who received all three stamps also received a chance to enter a prize draw at Genesis Studio Hanam.

Motorsports for the Whole Family

For visitors looking to enjoy the festival more casually, dedicated activity zones offered postcard drawing and temporary tattoos, providing an approachable way for families and newcomers to the sport to soak up the atmosphere.

The flexible format allowed families to enjoy the event at their own pace — parents could inspect the GMR-001 Hypercar while their children took the wheel on the simulator before regrouping to make postcards or collect stamps.

“Because [the festival] was held at the Starfield Hanam which is a convenient location, we could easily visit with our kids,” one parent said. “I previously had little interest in motorsports, but Genesis’ announcement of its WEC participation sparked my curiosity. After following the team’s completion of the 6 Hours of Imola and its results at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, I now check the outcome of every race.”

“The kids love racing too, so getting stickers and drawing pictures made it a rewarding experience the whole family could enjoy,” the parent added.

Genesis Collection Brings Magma Orange from the Track to Lifestyle Goods

Beyond the experience programs, visitors were able to browse the Genesis Brand Collection — which extends Genesis design and brand sensibility into everyday lifestyle products — as well as the Genesis Magma Racing Collection, which was fitting for the motorsports event. A variety of items clad in Magma Orange, including keyrings, scale models and accessories, were available for purchase on site.

A signature item of the Genesis Collection, the teddy bear keyring, captures the brand’s most significant milestones and stories through different characters. The lineup includes the “Jacky Ickx Edition” teddy, inspired by legendary six-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and Genesis Brand Partner Jacky Ickx, the “Heritage Racer Edition,” dressed in classic racing overalls reminiscent of racecar drivers of the past, as well as the “Magma Crew Bear,” representing the identity of a team united by Genesis’ high-performance Magma DNA.

Genesis also lent its striking Magma Orange hue to postcards, poster books, leather cardholders, and tote bags.

The Genesis Magma Racing Collection was a particular favorite among fans. The lineup included 1:43 scale models of the #17 and #19 GMR-001 Hypercars, accompanied by team apparel and racing accessories such as snapback caps, team shirts and rain jackets, allowing fans to carry their support for Genesis Magma Racing into their daily lives.

6 Hours of Fuji Live Watch Party

On Sept. 27, fans in Hanam turned their attention to the screen at the watch party to cheer on the #17 and #19 Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001 Hypercars of Genesis Magma Racing competing at the 6 Hours of Fuji.

Megabox Hanam Starfield broadcasted the race live on a movie theatre screen with surround sound while visitors at the South Atrium and Genesis Studio Hanam followed the action on large LED displays.

During the race, the #19 Hypercar broke into the front pack early and spent most of its run inside the top five. The #17 car also kept up the pursuit, staying within the points-scoring positions until the late stages. Despite a late penalty dropping the #19 to 11th place and the #17 to 15th, the race showcased the competitiveness of the GMR-001 Hypercars amid changing track conditions.

“For a Korean brand to enter motorsports is a tremendous challenge in itself,” one motorsports fan said. “Gathering together to experience motorsports like this will likely spark even greater interest here in Korea.”

Another visitor, who encountered endurance racing for the first time this WEC season, shared that they had been following Genesis Magma Racing’s journey since the season opener in Imola, Italy.

“At first, I figured just finishing a race would be an achievement, but my expectations grew as the team started securing points during the season,” the visitor said. “Watching the race in a theater equipped with a massive screen and high-quality sound made it a really special experience.”

A spectator from a Genesis-owning family also mentioned that their view of the brand changed after witnessing its motorsports activities.

“It was already a brand I liked, but by taking on motorsports, it feels like the brand’s ambitions have grown even bigger and I have high expectations for its future vision,” they said.

A Bold Pursuit Backed by Fans

Early in the season, fans simply hoped the team would finish the race. But these expectations have shifted. Now, they are looking past points finishes and setting their sights on double points and podium finishes.

As Genesis Magma Racing builds experience and shows results race by race, the cautious cheers from the start of the year have transformed into genuine excitement for the next race.

The Genesis Magma Racing Live Festival proved that this momentum is taking hold in Korea as well. From long-time motorsports enthusiasts to those watching endurance racing for the first time because of Genesis Magma Racing, people who came from different starting points are now following the same team’s journey and waiting to see what comes next.

The checkered flag has dropped at Fuji, but the season is far from over. How much faster will the team go and how much higher can it climb at the next race? Korean fans will soon turn their gazes to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the 6 Hours of Barcelona to cheer on their home team, Genesis Magma Racing.

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Amy Marentic was sitting in a conference room roughly fifteen years ago when someone told her what luxury would become.

"We were meeting with a woman — her job title was corporate futurist," the Chief Marketing Officer of Genesis Motor America recalled at Genesis House in New York earlier this month. "Now, what an incredible job that would be, right? I tell the future."

The futurist was mapping scenarios 10, 20 and 30 years into the future. One stood out.

"One of the things that she said was, luxury will be disconnection."

Marentic paused on the timing.

"Imagine saying that 10 to 15 years ago, when everybody was adding their second cell phone and they were connected 24/7."

At the time, the prediction seemed counterintuitive. It doesn't anymore. Over the course of an evening of conversations hosted at Genesis House, spanning beauty, coffee, fashion and automotive, four senior executives reached much the same conclusion. None of them were asked the same question. All of them arrived at a similar answer.

When Traditional Advantages Stopped Being Enough

Jonny Bauer, founder and executive chair of FundamentalCo, sees the shift in straightforward terms.

"Ten years ago, a brand could win through controlled distribution, a recognizable identity, and consistent communications," he said. "But that's no longer the case."

He believes the change is long-term rather than temporary. "Production and access now are abundant."

Lisa Sequino, President of Global Makeup Brands at The Estée Lauder Companies, described the same shift from inside the supply chain. In her view, the pandemic permanently changed where products could be made.

"What COVID did was it allowed packaging and manufacturing to have a much more global footprint," she said. "So when you travel the world, you can go to Brazil or China or India and see a lip product that's just as high quality as something that you would have seen manufactured in another European country 10 years ago."

The result is that competition has risen across the board.

"So the competition has really increased," Sequino said. "That's why I think a lot of brands need to make sure that they're adding other elements to their product — because anybody can enter the market. You and I can start a beauty company tomorrow. So the stakes are much higher."

Semafor Media Editor Max Tani summarized the situation from the moderator's chair.

"Just make an AI, go on TikTok, sell it without even having a product yet."

The data points in the same direction. In its spring 2026 update to the Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study, produced with the Italian industry association Altagamma, Bain & Company found that roughly half of luxury consumers now use artificial intelligence somewhere in the purchase journey. About one in four use it to discover brands, while two in three use it to compare options before making a purchase. Around half also consult the secondhand market before buying something new.

Discovery, comparison and validation have become easier and faster than ever. Brands no longer control these stages the way they once did.

Sequino has watched the transition firsthand. Influence, she said, has moved away from models and beauty advisors and toward ordinary consumers sharing their own experiences.

She does not view that as a positive development.

"I think it makes our job harder," she said, "because you have to make a great product that people can easily speak about."

From Money and Access to Time and Experience

If those traditional signals are now commonplace, what does a luxury purchase communicate today?

Bauer described a progression. Luxury once signaled that someone had money. Later it signaled taste. Then it signaled access.

"And now I think it's also just a little bit more of, 'I have time,'" he said, "to really choose where and how I spend my time, and who and how I'm with, and what the composition of my existence becomes."

He stopped short of arguing for a single global definition.

"Those things have evolved at the same time in different markets, with different levels of development," he said. "There are some markets where it's still a luxury to signal, I have the money to be able to afford this, or I have access."

His view is that markets are moving in the same direction, though at different speeds.

"Some markets are catching up to other markets, but it's all heading in that way."

Marentic pointed to data showing the same pattern. Consumer sentiment toward experiences, she noted, is growing roughly 1.5 times faster than sentiment toward tangible goods.

Bookings for dining, leisure and entertainment rose 30 percent year on year, while travel beyond traditional destinations increased 20 percent. Consumers are placing more value on experiences than they did just a few years ago.

"So people are thinking more, especially high-net-worth, thinking more about luxury experiences, about travel, about culinary experiences," Marentic said. "So we absolutely are seeing it in the data."

The Appeal of Vitality

Bauer expanded on the idea through research he conducted with ultra-high-net-worth consumers. The research focused on a simple question: what types of brands and experiences genuinely resonate with this audience? The answer was remarkably consistent across markets.

"It was experiences that could deliver a real sense of vitality to them," Bauer said.

He broke vitality into two parts. "The first thing you can do is to make them feel important," he said. The importance comes from social standing rather than possessions.

"It's not just what are you experiencing, but what's the group that you're experiencing it with? And how can I really signal that I'm chosen to be part of this important group?"

The second element is physical. "The second part of it was feeling physically well."

Bauer condensed the idea into a simple principle. "So: make me feel important, and make me feel well."

That principle leads to highly specific services. "Wellness doctors coming with you on travel, things to stop you getting jet-lagged, how to make the travel experience faster and cleaner."

Neither side works alone. "It's the combination of both of these two values being built into their experience that adds up to this broader concept of vitality."

Bauer then applied the idea to the room around him. "So how do you infuse that sense of visceral vitality into these beautiful cars around here, or the driving experiences connected — surrounding how you pick them up?" Bauer asked. "You go and pick up a Porsche, you get to drive it around Germany and then put it on a boat and come back."

His point was not that products no longer matter. Rather, value increasingly comes from everything that surrounds them: the people, the setting, the service and the memories created along the way.

Across the evening, executives from four very different industries arrived at a similar conclusion. Access is no longer scarce. Information is no longer scarce. In many categories, even quality is no longer as rare as it once was.

What people are searching for instead are experiences that feel meaningful, personal and worth their time.

But that raises a different question: If luxury increasingly lives in the experience, how much does the product itself still matter?

Reporting drawn from Semafor's Business on Luxury, hosted at Genesis House, New York. Market data from the Bain & Company–Altagamma Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study, spring 2026 update.

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The 2026 Presidents Cup in Chicago marked more than a decade since Genesis first became an event sponsor.

The story began in 2015, when the Presidents Cup arrived in Korea for the first time.

Genesis had not yet launched as a standalone luxury brand. Hyundai Motor Company served as the tournament's Official Vehicle Sponsor, providing transportation for players, officials and guests throughout the week. The fleet included Genesis models, introducing many international visitors to a name that would soon become Hyundai Motor Group's dedicated luxury brand.

For Genesis, the event marked an early appearance on one of golf's biggest international stages.

Returning Under the Genesis Name

Four years later, Genesis returned to the Presidents Cup in a different role.

At the 2019 Presidents Cup in Melbourne, Australia, Genesis became the tournament's Official Automobile Sponsor as a standalone global luxury brand. It was the brand's first Presidents Cup under the Genesis name.

The Presidents Cup's international format took the competition to different host countries over the years. After Melbourne, Genesis continued its involvement as the tournament moved to Charlotte in 2022, Montreal in 2024 and Chicago in 2026.

The event brought together Team USA and the International Team and provided Genesis with an opportunity to engage players, guests and fans throughout tournament week.

Building a Broader Golf Portfolio

Genesis' golf activities expanded alongside its involvement with the Presidents Cup.

In 2016, the brand established the Genesis Point System in Korea. The following year, Genesis became title partner of the Genesis Invitational in the United States and the Genesis Championship in Korea.

The portfolio expanded again in 2022 with the addition of the Genesis Scottish Open.

In 2025, Genesis entered a global marketing partnership with the PGA TOUR, becoming the first Global Official Vehicle of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions.

Together, these milestones marked Genesis' growing role across professional golf in Korea and abroad.

The Presidents Cup in Chicago

Genesis once again played a role in the Presidents Cup when the tournament was held in Chicago in 2026.

Throughout tournament week, Genesis vehicles were showcased across key locations on the course, including the VIP Entry Area, Gallery Entry Area and Fan Zone. Displays featured the GV90 Neolun First Edition, GV90 Neolun and GV80 Coupe Prestige Black, giving attendees an opportunity to experience some of the brand's latest models up close.

Beyond the vehicle displays, Genesis hosted a range of fan engagement activities, including live painting sessions by artist Jonas Never, a photo experience, postcard activation and scavenger hunt.

The brand also operated Genesis Hospitality Suites in two locations on-site, providing invited guests with tournament viewing opportunities alongside food and beverage service.

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FUJI, Japan, Sept. 27, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing missed out on adding to its FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) points tally at the 6 Hours of Fuji, despite showing strong pace throughout a weekend of mixed conditions after late race penalties for both GMR-001 Hypercar took them out of the top 10 at Fuji Speedway.

Strong Pace in All Conditions Clouded by Mistakes

Dani Juncadella and André Lotterer started the race third and fifth respectively in the #19 and #17 GMR-001 Hypercars, thanks to their positions decided by the fastest Free Practice laps after Qualifying was cancelled due to wet conditions. The team’s best starting position was the result of not only the performance of the car, but also the foresight to plan ahead during the first sessions of the weekend.

Juncadella was able to hold third for the first hour of the race, while Lotterer — one of only a few drivers on four medium tires compared to the soft compound — struggled in his opening double stint, leaving teammates Mathys Jaubert and Pipo Derani to lead the recovery.

With Juncadella, then Paul-Loup Chatin and Mathieu Jaminet, the #19 entry held a top five position for much of the race. The trio showed the potential of the GMR-001 Hypercar despite the changing conditions, reaching the start of the final hour holding fifth place.

When most of the Hypercar field pitted together under Safety Car with less than 45 minutes remaining, the #19 crew lost time with a slow stop, dropping out of the top five but remaining in the points positions. Jaminet was able to win back one position after the restart. However, the chances of the first points for the lineup were dealt a major blow by a drive through penalty — assessed two hours after the infringement — which left the team with no time to recover the lost time, leaving the #19 car 11th at the end of the race, narrowly missing out on the points the performance deserved.

The sister car had recovered well to break into the points with Derani driving the final stint. However, the team’s failure to adapt quickly enough to dropping temperatures and light rain led to the car falling out of the prescribed tire pressure range, resulting in a drive through penalty that dropped the car to finish 15th.

Genesis Magma Racing Team Management Quotes

Gabriele Tarquini, Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director said: “We have to take a lot of positive things from the race because our pace was very good both wet and dry and reliability was no problem again. The last two drivers faced difficult conditions on track because it was damp, but the car went well. The balance was very good, so that's part of the positive things from the weekend. But the execution of the race was not perfect. Any small mistakes cost you a lot and we paid very, very hard, especially in a race as compact as this because of the Safety Car in the last quarter of the race. So, we need to learn from and execute better the next race.”

Justin Taylor, Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer said: “11^th and 15^th is not the result that we wanted, but in motorsport, I think sometimes you have to look outside just the results at the end to see how you really did. Clearly, we made some mistakes. We have a lot of learning still left to do, but we had a lot of positives from the weekend. In Free Practice, our Qualifying [simulations] showed that the car is performing well, and we planned ahead to make sure we were ready in case Qualifying was cancelled, which paid off. During the race, we were able to be competitive with the big names on the grid. So, the GMR-001 Hypercar has performance. We know we have the potential. We just need to tie it all together on our side and on track.”

Driver Quote - #17 GMR-001 Hypercar

Pipo Derani said: “Unfortunately we had an issue there where we had to change tires. Temperatures were dropping quicker than we expected and we didn’t react well enough. We took a drive through because of it — unfortunate — but it is what it is. Definitely a weekend for us to learn. We showed some promise, some great potential, but this weekend was another reminder that to get to the top it takes a lot of effort, a lot of learning and we have to remind ourselves about that. We're going to analyze everything and come back stronger. I'm sure that things that we didn't execute so well the last race were better here, but we’re always facing new situations, making sure that we're on our toes. We keep learning and hopefully we'll be able to materialize a very strong result.”

Mathys Jaubert said: “My stint was not the easiest, but when you are not fighting a great position, you just focus on the target, saving the tires and not taking any penalties, trying to do a lot of energy saving to try to offset the strategy. This race was quite tough for the #17 GMR-001 Hypercar. We were missing some performance and small things have big consequences in this championship where the field is so strong and very close. We learned a lot, especially in the wet conditions we discovered this weekend. Comparing us to the other teams in these conditions we were not bad, and starting two cars in the top five, it's very positive. But then the race is about strategy and this weekend we had some issues which had big consequences.”

André Lotterer said: “We started third and fifth, and hoping to finish with both cars in the top eight, which was very realistic, especially for the sister car. Me, with the medium tires, they never came in, so had I to survive that opening stint, and we were hoping to move back up with Mathys and Pipo, which we actually did, but then we got penalties. On the other side, we were hoping to have a good result. It was looking good, like fourth, fifth, or with some other calls it could have even been better, so that's very encouraging. We're still a new team, and when you make small mistakes they cost a lot when the field is so close. It's all part of our learning curve. The potential is obviously there. We're still working on putting the puzzle together.”

Driver Quote - #19 GMR-001 Hypercar

Paul-Loup Chatin said: “I think overall it's still a strong weekend for us, even if we didn’t get the result that we wanted. We showed strong pace throughout the weekend, in wet conditions and in the dry. The #19 GMR-001 Hypercar was great. The top three in my stint were a bit faster than us, but we were doing what we needed to be capable of fighting with them. The mistake under double yellows was only small, but it cost us a lot, especially so late in the race, which is a shame. The team did a super good job, so there are still plenty of positive things from this weekend, but also a lot we can analyze, and I'm sure it will help us to come back stronger.”

Mathieu Jaminet said: “The car had decent pace, running P5 while managing tires and gap while competing at the front. It's one of the first times this year we were really running up front. Dani did an amazing job at the beginning, holding on for the first hour in the top three. But the Safety Car came out with an hour left and we didn't do our best stop and lost a few positions there. I had a fight at the restart and had really good pace. Unfortunately, we had a late drive-through for an infringement early in the race, so no points today. It’s a little bit frustrating to still have the #19 car on zero as today we definitely deserved more and the top five was on the cards. I'm pretty happy with the progress, but for sure we need to step up, but it's looking good towards the end of the year.”

Dani Juncadella said: “There were a lot of positives, of course. We were competitive in the dry, in mixed conditions and in the wet. We had a very good first half of the race. We were comfortably running around P4, so it was looking great. Unfortunately, the last pit stop was a bit of a chaotic one with the whole grid pitting all together, bunched up. We lost a bit there and that had a big consequence, so we dropped to P9 at the time. It looked like we were going to finish in P7, but we had a drive-through also for a small mistake under double yellows. It's a shame because I think everybody deserved a strong result today. Before the last pit stop we were ahead of the #8 Toyota that won the race.”

ㅤ2026 6 Hours of Fuji – Hypercar class

LE CASTEELET, France, Sept. 24, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing has launched the GMR Esports Series, working in close partnership with Le Mans Ultimate and leading Sim Racing and Esports media website, Traxion. The series aims to uncover fresh Esports talent, with the winning driver from the final phase set to be given a place in the official GMR Esports team, offering drivers to go from their home to a professional, manufacturer-supported program.

Qualifiers and Series Designed to be a Complete Test

The creation of the series deepens the relationship between Genesis Magma Racing and Le Mans Ultimate — the official game of the FIA World Endurance Championship — and adds to the team’s commitment to Esports.

The series will begin on Oct. 6, with eight weeks of Qualifiers, featuring races on a different free-to-play circuit each week. For each the competitors will be locked to the game’s version of the GMR-001 Hypercar, originally introduced to the game in April this year, ahead of Genesis Magma Racing’s debut FIA WEC race.

Competing in races via Le Mans Ultimate’s Online Championship tab, players will be able to join a maximum of three races per week. Only a player’s best six of the eight weeks will be counted in the standings which decide who progresses to Phase 2.

The fastest 20 global drivers and top 10 Korean registered drivers, based on the best race results from Phase 1 events, will then progress through to the main GMR Esports Series set to begin in December. Over the course of four races — three sprint events, and a two-hour endurance race — drivers will have to prove their ability, not just to drive fast, but also to adapt to ‘Wildcards’: challenges and changing conditions generated by Le Mans Ultimate’s dynamic weather capability.

“The GMR Esports Series has been designed as a thorough test of drivers in Le Mans Ultimate,” explained GMR Esports driver Collin Spork. “Working with the Motorsport Games team behind Le Mans Ultimate, we want to find the drivers who are not only the fastest, but also those who navigate the different kinds of challenges found in endurance racing. We expect the Qualifiers and the GMR Esports Series to be incredibly competitive. I’m really excited to see how the series plays out.”

The winning driver from the GMR Esports Series will join GMR Esports roster of drivers. The team is currently represented by six drivers, divided evenly between drivers from Europe – Collin Spork (Netherlands), Jesper Pedersen (Denmark) and Jernej Simončič (Slovenia) and South Korea — Hyukjin Kwon, Gyumin Kim, Youngchan Kim, and reserve driver Rokyeong Kang. The team competes using the GMR-001 Hypercar in the official special events held on Le Mans Ultimate, as well as the Virtual Motorsport series where drivers from the team are regular podium finishers.

GMR Esports Series Schedule

Qualifiers

GMR Esports Series

To find more information about the GMR Esports Series, and to enter, visit the Traxion GMR Esports Series Hub here.

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For the French driver, who is in the midst of prepping for the upcoming 6 Hours of Fuji, the primary appeal was the rare opportunity to help build and shape a factory racing effort from its earliest stages — while proudly representing the first Korean brand to compete at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“I really wanted a new challenge,” Jaminet said. “After last year, I wanted a fresh start, and what’s better than going with a brand-new team that has to establish itself in the World Endurance Championship.”

“I wanted to build something completely new and have a chance to make a small impact on the future success of the brand — the first ever Korean brand to go to Le Mans,” he said. “So, I was excited about that, and that’s why I chose to join Genesis Magma Racing.”

A Proven Championship Pedigree

Before taking on this new endeavor, Jaminet established himself as a dominant force in top-tier endurance racing series. While Genesis Magma Racing is navigating its debut season, this is not Jaminet's first time competing in the WEC or the Hypercar class. He previously competed in the WEC's Hypercar class with Porsche Penske Motorsport, adding to a wealth of prototype experience that includes more than 24 Hypercar starts across the globe.

Jaminet rose from a Porsche Junior to an elite factory driver over a decorated decade-long stint. He captured early career titles like the 2016 Porsche Carrera Cup France and the 2018 ADAC GT Masters, before taking North American endurance racing by storm.

In International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), Jaminet clinched the 2022 GTD Pro Championship — which included a prestigious class victory at the Rolex 24 At Daytona — before moving up to the premier prototype class to capture the 2025 IMSA GTP Championship title. His jump to Genesis Magma Racing marks a bold leap out of his established comfort zone to steer a brand-new Hypercar program from the ground up.

Working in a Smaller Team

Jaminet says the smaller size of Genesis Magma Racing has made day-to-day communication more direct across the drivers, engineers and mechanics.

“It is obviously a very different culture and atmosphere than what I was used to in the past,” he said. “The team is quite a bit smaller, which on one hand is good — communication is way easier, the flow is good within mechanics, engineers, and the driver group. It’s easier to pick up on information and feedback, and to share our inputs as well.”

He sees the team’s mix of experiences as a benefit while the program continues to develop.

“Everyone comes with some experience from the past, and it’s a place where everyone can share their thoughts and try to move the team forward,” Jaminet said. “I really like that — it’s super cool to work with the team, we have good fun on and off the track. I’m happy and looking forward to continuing like that.”

Consistency Across Both Garages

Genesis Magma Racing runs two Hypercars in the WEC: #17 and #19. According to Jaminet, the goal is for there to be as little technical difference as possible between them.

“There shouldn’t be much difference between the two cars — at least from a technical standpoint, you want both cars as well prepared as possible, in exactly the same way,” he said.

The main differences are practical and driver-specific. In the #19 car, the seat is set up around Jaminet, with inserts used to accommodate his teammates.

“If we talk small differences, one is the seat — made to fit each driver,” he said. “On #19 car the base seat is set for me as the tallest driver, and Paul and Dani use inserts to fit. Aside from that and some different colors and stickers on the bodywork, there’s normally no difference between the cars.”

Preparing for Different Roles

In endurance racing, three drivers share the same car. That makes planning important, both before a race weekend and during each practice session.

“In endurance racing, we’re three drivers sharing a car, so we try to define each person’s role before the season or the weekend,” Jaminet said. “For example, I’m the qualifying driver, so my goal is to work on qualifying prep in free practice.”

Jaminet’s preparation focuses particularly on low-fuel, new-tire laps. The starting driver, Spaniard Dani Juncadella, has a different preparation requirement because the formation lap gives him time to warm the tires before the start.

“The run plan reflects each driver’s role — Dani, as the starting driver, doesn’t need to focus as much on cold tires and hard laps since he has the formation lap to warm up tires,” Jaminet said. “That’s something Paul-Loup [Chatin] and I really practice more, and I usually spend more time working on a low-fuel, new-tire run to put us as high as possible on the grid.

“We define the roles beforehand, then work on a run plan with the engineers so everyone gets laps in and is best prepared for their task,” he explained.

Recharging During Long Races

Between stints, Jaminet focuses on the usual requirements for endurance drivers: food, hydration and recovery. He does not follow a strict personal routine, but he does have one preferred snack during 24-hour events.

“I don’t really have a personal routine,” he said. “One thing I enjoy — not very common — is Nutella and bread, Nutella brioche, between stints on 24-hour races,” Jaminet confessed with a smile.

“Maybe not the best food for the body, but it recharges you a bit and gives you energy,” he added. “It’s more of a mental thing — I love Nutella, and it gives me a little moment of joy by myself, eating that piece of bread and grabbing a drink, whether after a good or bad stint.”

“Beyond that, standard food — rice, chicken, pasta — recharging on carbs, and making sure to get water, juice, and electrolytes, since you lose a lot of fluid in the car,” Jaminet said.

Completing Le Mans

One of the season’s key milestones was Genesis Magma Racing completing the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Jaminet piloted the team’s only remaining #19 Hypercar to the finish, crossing the line to the loud cheers of his pit crew who had climbed the pit wall, waving wildly and excitedly punching the air with their fists.

To the uninitiated, the scene may have looked like a celebration of victory at the world’s most legendary race, but the #19 Hypercar had actually finished in 13th place. But for a debutant team surviving their first brutal 24-hour endurance test, finishing 13th felt like a win.

The #17 Hypercar could not continue after impact from an aggressive maneuver over a curb in the final stretch damaged the front right suspension.

Le Mans is defined as much by reliability as speed. Attrition is constant over 24 hours, and even established manufacturers see their entries retire before the checkered flag. To be officially classified as race finish, a car must also complete at least 70% of the winning car’s distance. For Genesis Magma Racing, reaching that threshold represented a successful first outing at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

“Yes, I was part of the first Korean brand that completed the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I was lucky enough to be in the car and to finish the race,” he said. “Honestly, it felt very special, I knew it jumping in.”

In the final laps, his priority was straightforward: avoid problems and bring the car home.

“I really hoped we wouldn’t have issues and to bring the car to the end,” Jaminet said. “Obviously, when you come to those last laps, you don’t feel the extra pressure, but you still don’t want to make any silly mistakes that would be costly.”

While he has finished races before, the significance of this result was different given the occasion and the responsibility he held in the final stint.

“I’ve had a chance to finish races before, it’s always special, but finishing the 24 Hours of Le Mans was a bit more emotional, knowing it’s the first time in history and I have the trust of the brand, the management and the team behind me to be the one to bring the car to the line,” he said.

“It was a privilege and I’m proud to have been part of that, and that I have written the first few lines of the history of the Genesis brand’s racing legacy.”

Signs of Progress

At Interlagos, Jaminet topped the Free Practice 2 (FP2) session on his first visit to the circuit. He saw the session result as a positive sign, while keeping a grounded perspective.

“My first visit to Interlagos — we set the best time in FP2,” he said. “Just a free practice session, but it shows that we’re taking steps and getting closer.”

Jaminet said he is generally able to get up to speed quickly when adapting to a new car or circuit.

“What helped me find pace so quickly is hard to say — I’m usually a quick learner, especially in motorsport, so I don’t need much time or many laps on a new track and a new car to try to find the limits,” he said. “It worked out well there, being my first time in Brazil.”

“In FP2 we did a qualifying simulation and the car was good. Not every team was on a qualifying simulation, but many cars were, and somehow, we topped the session,” he continued. “It might not seem like much, but it was our first official P1 on a race weekend. It all starts with a free practice, so that’s a good sign heading toward future qualifying and races later this year or next year.”

Jaminet says the team’s progress is also visible in the way it functions, and the growing relationship with their fans and followers.

“The team has completed every race so far, and it does feel like we are growing quickly — I feel that momentum going into race weekends,” he said. “We’re growing on the operational side and building trust between us. The energy of the fans and the atmosphere is also there, and their confidence in us is building.”

With just three races to go until the end of the season, he says the team is motivated by the results so far and is prepared to consider different race strategies when opportunities arise.

“One thing I like is that we’re a bit greedy — when we’re close to a point, we get creative on strategy to try to get there,” he said.

“You can feel within the team that people want to win, and honestly, that’s all I care about — I’m not interested in anything less than winning. You want people like that around you; that’s the only way to succeed.”

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What if your vehicle could become a private luxury theater? That idea sparked the development of the pop-up OLED Cinematic Display introduced on the Genesis GV90. More than a display, it was conceived as a technology that could transform the in-cabin experience.

The Genesis GV90 is the first Genesis model to feature Pleos Connect, Hyundai Motor Group's next-generation infotainment platform. Developed specifically for the GV90, it works in combination with the pop-up OLED Cinematic Display to create a more natural connection between the vehicle and its occupants, delivering a digital experience designed for both driving and relaxation.

Whether driving or parked, the Cinematic Display is designed to provide different experiences depending on the situation. While driving, its wide-format screen displays vehicle information, navigation and media content. A 25-inch head-up display (HUD) simultaneously projects key driving information, including speed, navigation guidance and ADAS status, within the driver's field of view. Users can also interact with the onboard AI agent, Gleo AI, to control vehicle functions, search for information and perform various tasks through natural voice commands.

One of the defining features of the GV90 is the combination of its Cinematic Display and Pleos Connect, introducing a new level of display flexibility not available in previous versions of the platform. To bring this experience to life, both the hardware and software were developed specifically for the GV90. While driving, the Cinematic Display functions as a wide 23.6-inch display. When the vehicle is parked, pressing the extension button on the center fascia raises the display by 90 millimeters, revealing the full 24.6-inch screen. Measuring 584.1 millimeters wide and 219 millimeters high, the expanded display increases the total viewing area by approximately 1.7 times and features a resolution of 3840 x 1440. An accompanying animation further enhances the sense of immersion as the display expands.

The larger display is designed to enhance content immersion and support a wider range of use cases. To better understand the thinking behind its development, we spoke with the engineers responsible for the GV90's infotainment system — Senior Research Engineer Inho Yoon from the Infotainment Platform Development Team, Senior Research Engineer Jongkyo Ahn of the Infotainment Device Engineering Team, and Senior Research Engineers Mina Lee and Sooyul Bae with the Infotainment UX Development Team who developed Pleos Connect — shared their perspective.

Bringing the Home Theater Experience Onboard

Senior Research Engineer Inho Yoon of the Infotainment Platform Development Team helped define the development concept and key specifications for the GV90's Pleos Connect system. Yoon explained that the project began with a recognition that today's vehicles are no longer just a means of transportation, but spaces for a broader range of experiences.

"Cars today serve a variety of purposes beyond transportation. Electric vehicles, in particular, can continue to power a range of features even while parked, creating opportunities for new experiences. With the Cinematic Display and Pleos Connect, our goal was to create a home theater-like experience inside the vehicle. When the display is extended, it switches to Media Home mode, allowing users to enjoy streaming services and live channels* much like they would on a smart TV at home."

^{"Our goal was to create a movie theater-like experience," says Senior Research Engineer Inho Yoon, describing the Cinematic Display.}

The Cinematic Display's pop-up function plays a key role in transforming the vehicle cabin into a living space. When the vehicle is parked and the extension button is pressed, the display rises and switches to Media Home mode, creating an experience similar to a smart TV. These physical and visual changes reinforce the feeling that the cabin has transitioned from a space for travel to one designed for relaxation and entertainment.

^{When extended, the display switches to Media Home screen, offering an intuitive user experience.}

Bringing new hardware and features into a vehicle is a complex process. To ensure customer safety and a high-quality user experience, engineers must consider every potential variable, including how new and existing components interact with one another. Senior Research Engineer Jongkyo Ahn of the Infotainment Device Engineering Team led the development of the Cinematic Display, refining its pop-up functionality through repeated design and testing. “We focused on ensuring the performance and quality of the pop-up mechanism from the early stages of development,” he said.

^{The Cinematic Display is central to transforming the space inside the GV90.}

“Adding a pop-up function to the display requires additional components, including a motor, gears and guide rails. The added weight raised concerns about vibration during driving if conventional mounting methods were used. That led us to explore a different mounting approach. We minimized vibration by mounting the display directly to the cowl crossbar, a structural component that helps prevent the chassis from flexing and twisting. We also worked closely with teams responsible for interior design and packaging to address potential component interference caused by the movement of the display and to finalize the design.”​‌

^{Senior Research Engineer Jongkyo Ahn employed a new mounting method to ensure the pop-up mechanism operates quietly and smoothly.}

The structural advantages of the Cinematic Display lie in its quiet operation and durability. Through the optimized use of a Brushless DC (BLDC) motor and linear motion guides, the system allows the display to glide silently while maintaining long-lasting durability. This is the result of careful refinement designed to ensure customer satisfaction — not only by offering a large display suited to a luxury model like the GV90, but through the elegance of its movement.

“From the beginning, we wanted the display to operate as quietly as possible,” said Ahn. “It delivers a high level of durability and quiet operation, even when compared with competing systems, and successfully completed more than 100,000 test cycles. Operating noise remained below 40 decibels across low-, ambient- and high-temperature conditions, making it as quiet as a library. I still remember climbing into a chamber cooled to -30°C to evaluate its performance in extreme cold.”

^{Senior Research Engineer Jongkyo Ahn says the Cinematic Display operates at noise levels comparable to a library.}

The GV90's Cinematic Display is designed to enhance content immersion when the vehicle is stationary. For occupant safety, the expanded display automatically retracts once the vehicle begins to move. Given the size of the expanded display, this function helps prevent interference with front passenger airbag deployment. While driving, the 23.6-inch display presents driving information, navigation and media content in a clear layout, allowing drivers to easily monitor key information.

Thoughtfully Designed User Experience

Technology comes together through the integration of hardware and software. Integrating the Cinematic Display's 90-millimeter pop-up functionality with a 25-inch head-up display (HUD) required an intuitive user experience (UI). The answer came in the form of Pleos Connect, a version of Hyundai Motor Group's next-generation infotainment platform developed specifically for the GV90. While the hardware defines the form of the display, Pleos Connect shapes how occupants interact with it and experience its capabilities.

Senior Research Engineer Mina Lee of the Infotainment UX Development Team was responsible for the user experience (UX) design of the GV90's Pleos Connect, including window policies, common UX specifications and the menu bar. One of her key focuses was creating a natural multitasking experience. “We put significant effort into defining how apps appear on the display, so using navigation alongside other apps would feel seamless.”

^{Senior Research Engineer Mina Lee shares that she focused on creating a seamless multitasking experience.}

Lee added, “Despite the challenges of [designing for] a completely new vehicle exterior and interior, we designed the core UX flow to feel similar to the smartphone user experience. This approach was guided by a commitment to ensuring that customers could use the system safely and naturally, regardless of how devices or environments may evolve in the future.”

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^{Senior Research Engineer Mina Lee explains how safety and intuitive usability shaped the development of the GV90's UX.}

In automotive UX design, the top priority is delivering information while maintaining driving safety. With Pleos Connect, navigation and other applications can be used simultaneously, while the overall experience remains navigation-focused. “We designed the screen layout to minimize driver distraction. We also incorporated graphics that clearly indicate the available adjustment range when resizing the navigation and app windows, making the experience more intuitive.”

Unlike previous versions of Pleos Connect, the GV90 features menu bars on both sides of the screen. With dedicated areas for the driver and front passenger, the layout takes advantage of the display's wide format while placing frequently used controls within easy reach. The driver-side menu bar includes climate controls, navigation and app shortcuts, while the passenger-side menu bar provides access to climate controls and heated-seat functions. This optimized layout allows drivers to complete key interactions and check important information with minimal eye movement.

The GV90's HUD was also carefully refined from a UX perspective. With a display approximately twice the size of previous systems, it can show additional information, such as estimated driving range and drive mode status, while maintaining excellent visibility through effective use of space. Notifications appear in a dedicated area so they do not obstruct key driving information. This layout helps minimize the need for drivers to shift their gaze to the center display while on the road.

Yoon added that the central display enhances safety by consolidating information, controls and function status together onto a single interface. “On the Cinematic Display, drivers can view information, operate controls and confirm the status of functions on one screen. This means that there is no need to look away, allowing them to them to remain more focused while driving.”

The Cinematic Display reflects the user-first approach in every detail. The engineers behind Pleos Connect continue to explore solutions to offer customers even more convenience. A prime example is the newly added “APPS” button above the GV90’s integrated Crystal Sphere Controller, which takes users directly to the app selection screen when pressed.

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^{Pressing the “APPS” button located above the GV90’s integrated Crystal Sphere Controller takes users directly to the app selection screen.}

Among the physical buttons on the center fascia, the vehicle settings button provides direct access to the Quick Control page. Located at the top of the vehicle settings menu, the page brings frequently used functions together on a single screen, allowing drivers to adjust settings without navigating through multiple menus. The team is also exploring additional convenience features, including access to settings and shortcuts from any screen, as well as more personalized menu options as Pleos Connect continues to evolve.

Design That Delivers the Genesis Experience

Developing the GV90's Cinematic Display also required ensuring that every interaction with Pleos Connect conveyed a distinctly Genesis experience. Senior Research Engineer Sooyul Bae of the Infotainment UX Development Team was responsible for establishing design standards for screen layouts and graphics. Consistency across design elements, including the placement and size of pop-up windows, the shape and spacing of buttons, and overall screen composition, plays an important role in creating a cohesive user experience. Bae worked closely with UX and graphical user interface (GUI) specialists to align these standards and standardize common elements, helping ensure a consistent user experience while improving development efficiency.

Bae said the key challenge was to “efficiently present comprehensive information while preserving Genesis' distinctive sense of luxury.” Restraint, rather than extravagance, guided the team's approach to expressing Genesis' identity through graphic design. A dedicated typeface developed in accordance with the brand direction helps create a consistent visual identity, while key graphic elements — including windows, panels and icons — feature rounded squares that convey a solid yet refined impression. Neutral tones are used throughout the interface, with accent colors reserved for important information and interactive elements, naturally establishing a clear visual hierarchy.

^{Senior Research Engineer Sooyul Bae said, “It was important to present information efficiently while preserving the premium sensibility that defines Genesis.”}

Bae summarized the approach behind these choices: “Ultimately, we focused more on what we could dial back rather than how much more we could show, seeking to create a relaxed and sophisticated user experience that is distinctly Genesis.”

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^{Pleos Connect onboard the GV90 delivers a premium user experience through its restrained design language.}

Attention to creating a distinctly Genesis user experience can also be seen in the details surrounding the Cinematic Display. While the UX and GUI offer a refined and composed interface, the physical controls contribute to a premium and modern atmosphere. Features such as the real-glass crystal buttons and the Center Knob Display provide control over a range of functions, including media volume, temperature and fan speed, reinforcing the premium sensibility associated with Genesis. The 25-speaker Bang & Olufsen Premier 3D sound system further enhances content immersion.

System stability was another key consideration in the development of Pleos Connect for the GV90. Given the large display and wide range of functions it supports, the system uses a control unit designed with stability as a priority. While driving, more resources are allocated to vehicle control and driving-related functions. When the vehicle is parked and the display is extended, resources are shifted toward entertainment features. This approach helps ensure the system delivers the performance required in each situation. Yoon explained: “Because the instrument cluster, HUD and center display are all operated by the same control unit, we optimized resource allocation to prevent delays caused by unnecessary or excessive resource usage. We also designed the system to ensure long-term reliability.”

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^{The GV90 features the 25-speaker Bang & Olufsen Premier 3D sound system.}

Engineering the Experience

The Cinematic Display is more than just a feature. It represents the careful deliberation of how occupants should experience the vehicle cabin. Bringing this vision to life required countless reviews and decisions. Yet, throughout this rigorous process, the engineers remained anchored to a single, unwavering standard: the experience awaiting customers in the GV90.

“Because we were establishing new standards in uncharted territory, there were many areas we had to define and decide firsthand. This meant developing the system through extensive consultation with a variety of stakeholders. We gave considerable thought to UX consistency, and we did our best to ensure that the qualities that define Genesis are conveyed through the customer experience,” Bae said.

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^{Senior Research Engineer Suyool Bae reflected on the development process, saying, “We did our best to ensure that the qualities that define Genesis are conveyed through the customer experience.”}

“As this was a completely new vehicle, the development process involved many changes, making it a challenging project. What stood out most was seeing so many teams come together to solve problems along the way. I would like to thank everyone who contributed their time and effort to refining the vehicle and improving the overall experience,” said Yoon.

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^{Senior Research Engineer Inho Yoon emphasized that the technology was the result of a collective effort across many teams and individuals.}

The newly introduced Cinematic Display and Pleos Connect are the result of extensive collaboration and problem solving across the development process. Although the project focused on hardware and technology, the word that surfaced most often in conversations with the four engineers was “customer.” Their attention was directed not only toward the display itself, but also toward the experience it would deliver.

Much like the credits at the end of a movie, their intense efforts remain hidden in the background. Yet, that unseen dedication seamlessly translates into a deeply satisfying experience for customers every single time they interact with the screen.

*Content services are subject to change in accordance with partner agreements, service operation policies, regional availability and other factors.

Photos by Hyuksoo Cho

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FUJI, Japan, Sept. 18, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing arrives at the 6 Hours of Fuji for the final fly-away race of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in high spirits following its best result of the season but facing fresh challenges and unknowns at the Japanese track.

Seeking Improvement After Setting New Benchmark

After scoring its best result of the season at Lone Star Le Mans, Genesis Magma Racing will arrive at Fuji Speedway aiming to ride the momentum from the seventh-place finish. To do so, the team will need to overcome the challenges that come with a first visit to the Japanese track. The team has worked quickly in the three weeks between the races, using the time to analyze their performance in Austin, identifying several operational improvements to make in both qualifying and the race that can be put into action at the coming rounds.

The team’s operations for the 6 Hours of Fuji will be further stressed, with the team arriving at the circuit with no physical data from a previous race or test to rely on. However, the weekend in Japan takes two of Genesis Magma Racing’s drivers back to ground with happy memories.

Racing with another manufacturer, Paul-Loup Chatin is one of the defending winners of the race — his single WEC race win to date, after strategy helped his team take victory. Genesis Magma Racing has shown itself capable of aggressive calls at key moments this season, and though the team is pragmatic about its chances of victory, Chatin and the rest of the #19 crew have their sights set on a first points finish of the season.

André Lotterer regards Japan as a second home, having raced there for 15 years earlier in his career. A past champion in the country’s premier GT and single-seater series, the German is also a past winner at Fuji Speedway in the WEC, taking victory in 2024, and has five other podium finishes at the circuit in the series.

The lone race in Asia is as close as the Korean team has to a home race. Taking advantage of the relative proximity, Genesis Magma Racing will welcome a number of VIPs from South Korea, and a group of Genesis customers, getting to experience the thrill of a lifetime in the WEC paddock. Meanwhile, in Korea, fans will be able to follow the race as part of the Genesis Magma Racing Live Festival at Starfield Hanam, near Seoul.

Genesis’ first large-scale motorsport festival in Korea will also include fan engagement activities, and the display of the #19 GMR-001 Hypercar that completed the 24 Hours of Le Mans in addition to the Magma GT3 Concept that was unveiled at the race in June.

Genesis Magma Racing Team Management Quotes

Justin Taylor, Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer said: “Austin gave us our best result of the season, and that genuinely means something for us — it shows what this team is capable of when everything aligns. At the same time, the #19’s race unraveled due to a strategic error and we finished last. That's painful and it's something we've addressed openly and honestly as a team. Both outcomes matter, and understanding the gap between them is as important as anything. In Fuji, we're going in without the benefit of a pre-race test, which adds a layer of complexity. We'll lean heavily on simulation and the setup knowledge we've accumulated across the season. To perform well, the cars must be fast on the long straight, stable in the high-speed 100R corner and able to manage rear tire temps in the twisty and cresting Sector 3. Add to that the almost constant threat of rain and we can be sure that Fuji will offer another big challenge.”

Gabriele Tarquini, Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director said: “The target is simple: take what we learned from Austin, improve where we can, and make sure we operate at the level needed to fight for the best possible result in qualifying and the race. However, Fuji is a very different challenge from Austin, and the short time between the races makes preparation even more important. Since Austin, we have looked at operational points where we can improve. When you are fighting at the highest level, small details make a big difference, so our focus is on making processes smoother and making sure we are better prepared for every situation. We can be positive about the progress of the GMR-001 Hypercar. In terms of both reliability and pace, we have made clear steps forward.”

Driver Quote - #17 GMR-001 Hypercar

Andre Lotterer said: “After our best result of the season in Austin, we’re coming to Fuji with good momentum and the aim is clearly to keep progressing and fight even closer to the front. Fuji is a track I really enjoy and I have a lot of great memories there. It’s quite unique with the very long straight and the technical final sector, so finding the right compromise with the car is always a challenge. I especially enjoy the fast first sector. I’m really excited to be coming back to Japan. It’s always a special place for me to race, and the Japanese fans are incredible; you can really feel their passion and support throughout the whole weekend. Hopefully, we can give them something to celebrate and fight for another strong result. I’ve been lucky enough to stand on the podium many times in Fuji throughout my career, so I really hope we can fight for a podium – this time with Genesis. It would be a very special result.”

Driver Quote - #19 GMR-001 Hypercar

Paul-Loup Chatin said: “Fuji is a track I have very good memories of, especially after winning there last year, so I’m really looking forward to coming back to Japan and to see the potential of our GMR-001 Hypercar at the track. Fuji is challenging because you need a good compromise between straight-line speed and performance in the corners. Managing the tires will also be important, particularly over a long stint. My favorite part of the lap is probably the final sector, especially the last corner and the long run onto the main straight. It’s a great feeling when you get that section right. Our target is clear: we want to score our first points with car #19. We know the potential is there, and we have made good progress since the beginning of the season. The key will be to put everything together over the whole weekend and have a clean, consistent race.”

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NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2026 — Genesis today shared the opening of The Genesis Facade Commission: Liu Wei, Speculation at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Marking the third commission under the multi-year partnership between Genesis and The Met, the exhibition will be on view at the Museum’s Fifth Avenue facade from Sept. 17, 2026 through June 8, 2027.

Established in 2024, The Genesis Facade Commission is an annual exhibition that invites artists to create new sculptural works for The Met’s Fifth Avenue facade, engaging with the Museum’s Beaux-Arts architecture and encyclopedic collection. Following presentations by acclaimed contemporary artists Lee Bul and Jeffrey Gibson, this year’s commission features four large-scale works by Beijing-based artist Liu Wei.

Liu has presented solo exhibitions in Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, and Cleveland in recent decades. The Genesis Facade Commission marks his first major museum exhibition in the United States.

Liu has explored the realities of the contemporary era since the late 1990s through a range of media, including photography, painting, video, sculpture, and installation. As one of the pioneering artists from China who sought to define conceptual art on their own terms amid rapid societal transformation, Liu has continuously built his own artistic practice by challenging and reinterpreting the historic expressions of abstraction, figuration, and the readymade.

Known for his engagement with sites and scale, Liu reconfigures fragments of the urban environment, historical sources, and bodily forms into grandiose sculptural installations and monumental forms while capturing and criticizing recurring conflicts and contradictions to challenge conventional boundaries.

For The Genesis Facade Commission, Liu Wei presents four sculptures of varying scales, each titled after a fundamental constant in physics: Speculation / Λ; Speculation / G; Speculation / c and Speculation / h. Composed of architectural fragments and bodily forms in diverse materials — including fiberglass composite, steel, aluminum alloy, polyurethane paint, and bovine rawhide — the works take form within the facade’s niches as “a pile of still life objects brusquely sutured together.”

The human hand emerges as a recurring motif and defining form throughout the commission, underscoring its enduring artistic, cultural, and symbolic resonance across time and place. It serves as a bridge between the tangible and the speculative, embodying Liu’s broader exploration of transformation, perception, and imagination.

The exhibition, titled Speculation, explores fragmentation, transformation, and renewal, reflecting on cycles of rupture and suture that shape individuals, cities, and societies over time. Drawing on the artist’s experience of the sweeping transformations of a rapidly modernizing China, the works examine the tensions, uncertainties, and contradictions that accompany profound change. In conversation with The Met’s Beaux-Arts architecture, the artworks reimagine the Fifth Avenue facade as a site for dialogue, reflection, and discovery.

“Through his distinctive artistic language, Liu Wei reconfigures familiar forms to illuminate the challenges embedded in contemporary realities,” said DooEun Choi, Art Director of Hyundai Motor. “We hope this exhibition invites audiences to reflect on human experience in an era of profound transformation and to reconsider how we navigate the complexities of the present.”

“Liu Wei’s sculptures for The Genesis Facade Commission are sure to reflect the curiosity, innovation — and even humor — he is known for," said Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and Chief Executive Officer. “This commission also reflects the spirit of The Met’s Tang Wing for Modern and Contemporary Art, opening in 2030, where global perspectives and boundary-pushing artistic practices like Liu Wei’s will be at the heart of how we present art of our time. We are honored to work with Liu Wei to expand the possibilities of the iconic Fifth Avenue facade with his first major project at an American institution.”

To celebrate the opening, an artist talk titled An Evening with Liu Wei, will be held on Sept. 22, offering a closer look at the artist’s creative journey and the conceptual development of the commission.

Through Genesis Art Initiatives, Genesis continues to deepen its partnerships with leading cultural institutions and visionary artists, fostering meaningful cultural dialogue globally. Current initiatives include The Genesis Facade Commission at The Met, The Genesis Talks in partnership with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), and the newly opened Do Ho Suh exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), on view through Feb. 9, 2027.

About Genesis and Genesis Art Initiatives

Genesis is a global automotive brand that aims to deliver the highest standards of performance, design, safety, and innovation while looking towards a more sustainable future. Reflecting a commitment to authenticity, Genesis seeks to foster dialogue on issues that transcend spatial and temporal boundaries, inspiring people to discover the profound through the arts. Genesis Art Initiatives supports institutions and visionaries with an understanding of contemporary challenges and timeless values. The initiatives include The Genesis Facade Commission at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a multi-year partnership presenting newly commissioned artworks on the niches of The Met’s Fifth Avenue facade, The Genesis Talks at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, a public talk program inviting visionaries across multiple disciplines, and The Genesis Exhibition: Do Ho Suh: Walk the House at Tate Modern, a comprehensive exhibition of the prominent artist. Visit www.genesis.com/art.html or follow @genesis_worldwide #GenesisArtInitiatives to learn more about our partnerships and programs.

About The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in 1870 by a group of American citizens—businessmen and financiers as well as leading artists and thinkers of the day—who wanted to create a museum to bring art and art education to the American people. Today, The Met displays tens of thousands of objects covering 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online. Since its founding, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum's galleries and through its exhibitions, events and educational programs, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures. The Met presents over 29,000 educational events and programs throughout the year to make art accessible to everyone, regardless of background, disability, age, or experience.

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SILVERSTONE, England, Sept. 14, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory Program drivers Jamie Chadwick, Laurents Hörr and Valerio Rinicella could only finish 11th in the LMP2 class at the 4 Hours of Silverstone in mixed conditions at the British track. The result meant the IDEC Sport-run team failed to score points for the first time this season in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS).

Mistakes Mask Pre-race Potential

Jamie Chadwick started the car at her home race on the ELMS calendar, starting from the fifth place earned by Hörr in qualifying. However, just a few corners after the start, Chadwick spun due to a combination of contact and a still slightly damp track, dropping her to the rear of the prototype field.

Undeterred, she began to make up the lost ground, progressing through the Pro-Am runners and breaking back into the top ten of her class as the LMP2s started to make their first pitstops — only for a puncture to force the team to pit. As they did this, conditions began to worsen, sparking a sequence of incidents. IDEC Sport took advantage of the Virtual Safety Car, putting Rinicella aboard and swapping to wet tires. Two pitstops left the Italian a lap down, but the team’s variety of strategies put him at the head of the line behind the Safety Car.

Despite taking his first laps in the rain, he pushed on to try to regain the lead lap — only to spin into the gravel as conditions continued to deteriorate. The recovery of the car cost the team another lap. Hörr, anchoring the driver line-up for the weekend, ran trouble-free for the final hour of the race, but could not salvage a points finish from the weekend.

The result drops the team to fourth in the LMP2 class standings and out of contention for the 2026 title, but just two points shy of third place and 20 behind second place, with a maximum of 26 left to score in the season finale next month at the 4 Hours of Portimão.

Post Race Quotes - #18 IDEC Sport Oreca 07

Jamie Chadwick said: “It was a difficult day. I made a small mistake in my stint. I got a bit caught out in the melee of the conditions and the start for the race and dropped back. But I managed to make good progress and get back through the field, but then unfortunately we got a puncture just before the rain came. It meant that we had to make a stop under green and then, obviously, another stop as the rain came for Valerio to go onto the wet tires, so that put us massively on the back foot. We were still fighting, but it just wasn’t meant to be for us today. A frustrating weekend, typical Silverstone throwing a lot at us with difficult conditions, but we’ll regroup and go for Portimão.”

Valerio Rinicella said: “We were a bit unlucky at the start, when we had a small contact, so to get back the positions takes some time because overtaking at Silverstone is quite hard. Then we got a puncture which didn't help, especially under a green flag, so we lost a lot of time. After I jumped in the car, we boxed again for wets. I think it was a good call. We were one lap down, but the track position was perfect. I was the first behind the safety car. I was struggling to drive around the track because conditions were really hard. It was my first time driving the LMP2 in the wet during a race, so it was good experience, but at the end, I tried to maximize everything to recover, but just a small mistake, put us, again, one lap down, in the gravel trap, and we couldn’t make up the lost time.”

Laurents Hörr said: “It’s difficult to put the feeling after the race into words because the week had been going amazingly well. The pace we had in the car was very promising. I think we had everything today to win the race, but days like this also make us stronger. I'm happy with the work I did today — penalty and mistake free. It's all we could have done in the end. It's unfortunate, but mistakes happen and today wasn't our day. So, we still keep pushing for Portimão. We’re just two points behind third in the championship, so we still have something to aim for to bounce back from this weekend.”

Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director Gabriele Tarquini said: “In motorsport there are always days like this, but what is important is how the drivers can respond. It was a day of difficult conditions and small mistakes that proved very costly. All the work that was done up to the start of the race was good, but the result from the weekend does not match the potential. Still, it was important experience for the drivers, especially Valerio, to race the car in the wet for the first time. The important thing will be how we can take the lessons from Silverstone, learn and come back stronger for the future.”

STRESA, Italy, Sept. 14, 2026 — Genesis introduced the Magma GT Concept and X Skorpio Concept to dynamic track conditions for the first time at the 2026 Tutto Bene Hillclimb. The two striking concept vehicles ascended the 9-kilometer Strada Borromea on Mottarone mountain, their debuts representing a bold statement of Genesis' ambitions in high-performance automotive design and engineering.

The Genesis Magma GT Concept, unveiled statically at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, finally revealed its true character in motion. The mid-engined grand tourer tackled the winding Italian hillclimb with precision — its purposeful proportions and uncompromising focus on performance embodying Genesis' exploration of luxury through the lens of high-performance engineering.

Making its European debut, the Genesis X Skorpio Concept is a dramatic departure that reimagines the brand's “Athletic Elegance” design language for off-road racing. The rugged vehicle showcased an entirely different approach to performance, featuring a tubular chassis and high-endurance components derived from competitive off-road racing development.

The X Skorpio Concept was piloted up the track by Genesis Magma Racing driver André Lotterer, who alongside his #17 GMR-001 Hypercar teammates Pipo Derani and Mathys Jaubert, recently secured the team’s best finish of the 2026 World Endurance Championship season at the Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas. The three drivers managed to recover from an early incident and penalty to bring the #17 GMR-001 Hypercar back into the top 10 to finish and score points in P7.

The contrast between the two concepts — one refined, mid-engined and road-focused; the other raw, purpose-built and terrain-conquering — demonstrated the breadth of Genesis' performance vision.

Created by Los Angeles-based Race Service and Milan-based BorromeodeSilva, Tutto Bene 2026 gathered 85 exceptional automobiles across one of Italy's most striking landscapes, overlooking Lake Maggiore. Far from being a competition, the hillclimb celebrated the shared passion for automotive design, engineering and driving culture.

Genesis also brought the Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001 Hypercar, fresh from competitive testing, and the Genesis Box Buggy Concept, a technical demonstrator which was built on technology from the Hyundai Motor Group’s Mobis division. Together, the vehicles illustrated the wealth of expertise within the Group, from high-performance motorsport to the exploration of future mobility technologies.

For Genesis, the event represented a natural meeting of automotive cultures and philosophies. In the Italian Alps, the marque embraced Tutto Bene’s “slow down to go fast” ethos which views journeys being just as important as the destination — a celebration of progressive design, engineering and the simple pleasure of being behind the wheel.

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Austin, TEXAS, Sept. 7, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing scored its best FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) result so far at Lone Star Le Mans, with the #17 GMR-001 Hypercar of Pipo Derani, Mathys Jaubert and André Lotterer finishing seventh. On a day which demanded that the drivers cope with changing conditions and high temperatures, the team reached new heights in its debut season.

Strong Pace and Reliability Rewarded With Result

The strong pace and excellent reliability that the team was aiming for were apparent from the very start of the weekend at Circuit of the Americas. Both GMR-001 Hypercars ran without mechanical issues during every session, and in Qualifying, both cars secured a place in Hyperpole for the first time in sessions using the WEC’s regular qualifying format.

Lotterer looked to improve further on Jaubert’s eighth-place qualifying results. He moved from eighth to fifth over the first racing lap, following two extra formation laps after rain fell during the pre-race ceremonies. His progress continued until an abortive move for third at the end of the back straight, which resulted in contact and a spin that dropped the German to the rear of the Hypercar field and drew an additional five-second penalty. As a result, the #17 team turned their focus to recovering the lost positions while managing energy and tires.

A Safety Car in the middle of Pipo Derani’s double stint helped bring the team back into contention and following a second single stint for Lotterer, a Virtual Safety Car with just over an hour remaining, delivered the chance to gain further ground by changing only left-side tires as Jaubert climbed back aboard for the final stint of the six-hour race.

For the final hour, the youngest driver in the Hypercar class went wheel-to-wheel with his more experienced rivals — some of whom had four new tires to his two. A move in traffic moved the #17 car to eighth, which became seventh due to a penalty for the #12 Cadillac — improving on the eighth place scored at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in May.

The strong weekend for the team was completed by the #19 entry of Paul-Loup Chatin, Mathieu Jaminet and Dani Juncadella. Though the final Safety Car fell outside of their pitstop window and forced them to make a final stop after the restart, Jaminet made sure to keep the car on the lead lap during the frantic final hour to tick off a major pre-season goal for the team to begin the second half of the season.

Genesis Magma Racing Team Management Quotes

Gabriele Tarquini, Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director said: “Overall, I’m very pleased with the performance the GMR-001 Hypercar showed both in qualifying and the race. It’s our best finish of the year so obviously we are happy. We will continue to work on the details to take another step forward in the next races. Of course, I’m a little disappointed because we had the potential to have both cars in the top 10 and scoring points. From a race management point of view, it wasn’t easy because the weather conditions changed throughout the race, and the drivers had to adapt, especially during the first part. Today, the difference between all the cars in the race was just a few tenths of a second, which shows just how tight the competition is. It makes the result even more encouraging and gives us confidence that we can achieve even better results in the upcoming races.”

Justin Taylor, Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer said: “We have to look at the positives from this weekend. We got both cars to finish on the lead lap. That was a big goal for us. We got one of the cars in the top 10. Neither car saw the garage with a technical issue, not only in the race, but in any of the practice sessions. I think we can be really proud of that. We've made some big steps, but we've got a long way to go and this race is gonna give us some motivation for that. On the flip side, we made several mistakes in several different areas, so it was a bit of a wake-up call. We need to polish up our procedures and be a bit smarter next time we come to the track to battle these guys.”

Driver Quotes - #17 GMR-001 Hypercar

André Lotterer said: “It’s more points, and our best result so far this year in seventh, so we managed to recover well from the early race mishaps and after I started super well. I had a great start and we started to move forward, but then I went for the move on the Ferrari. We had a good car and a good setup all weekend. From my side, I had fun in the car — it was great to drive, and we were able to achieve some of our goals. Unfortunately, the sister car couldn’t make it into the points, so we need to see what happened. We still need to improve some aspects, but we're here to grow, to become stronger. We've come to Austin and learned more about what we can do for the rest of the year.”

Mathys Jaubert said: “It was not the easiest final stint. I was fighting with very experienced guys and I was struggling because it was very, very warm in the cockpit. It was tricky because we know our car. We are still developing it and in terms of braking, traction, everything, so fighting with them was even harder. Some cars behind me had four new tires, so I knew it was impossible to fight with them. But I knew that the BMW, the Peugeot, the Cadillac were on the same strategy, so I tried my best to fight with them and I think I did a good job. We had the pace for the points and I think we deserve this position. I pushed a lot, trying my best to overtake them. I’m very happy about this result. We would still like to have two cars in the points. There are still three races to go, so in terms of strategy, development, pit stop, everything, we still have a lot to learn and to progress.”

Pipo Derani said: “We'll obviously take this result. It was a very eventful race with lots of Safety Car and Full Course Yellow interventions. It was so crazy. We were at the top, we were at the bottom, and then here we are, finishing P7, taking our best result home and some other big positive points as well. Considering that it's our first year, I think we should be proud of what we achieved today. I couldn't be any happier. We could have done a couple of positions better, but that's almost about it. And I'm proud of how we evolved through the weekend, how we got this car to the checkered flag, and how we continue to develop as a team. It’s been a great weekend for us and there’s still a few more to go, so hopefully we can continue to improve a bit.

Driver Quotes - #19 GMR-001 Hypercar

Dani Juncadella said: “Overall, it’s a nice result for Genesis Magma Racing, with the sister car finishing seventh and achieving our best result so far. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get both cars into the points, we just missed out. We need to take the positives from this weekend and analyze what we can do better in the future. There is still plenty to learn, but we can be happy with the progress we’ve made. We’re looking forward to the next round, and I think we’ll keep getting better and better. I think we can improve on our restarts and how we can manage in traffic. In endurance racing, that’s obviously a way that you can gain some time and positions, but you can also lose a lot. We’ve shown again what the team and GMR-001 Hypercar can do.”

Paul-Loup Chatin said: “I’m very happy for our sister car to finish seventh, which is a great result for the team and for Genesis. I think we showed some positive things with the work we did throughout the week, with good pace in practice and qualifying and excellent reliability on both sides of the garage. We were running together with the sister car until, unfortunately, towards the end of the race we made a mistake with the strategy on our side. These things can happen, but we need to learn from it, because we had the potential to bring both cars home inside the top 10. We’ll take the lessons from this weekend and come back stronger for the rest of the year.”

Mathieu Jaminet said: “Unfortunately, P15 is not the result we wanted, but it was positive to see our sister car finish P7. However, for the first time, we brought both cars home on the lead lap without any technical issues, so that is an important target achieved. On the other hand, today we had the pace and the cars to have both GMR-001 Hypercars in the points, so it is disappointing not to have converted the potential that we showed in qualifying into a race result. There are clearly areas we need to review, as we did not operate at the level we want to as a team. We will keep learning, keep progressing and make sure we take those lessons into the next race.”

2026 Lone Star Le Mans – Hypercar class