Here are the highlights.

The Genesis Sydney opening event on Jan. 29. Genesis has expanded its presence in Australia ever since entering the market in 2019, today running two flagship studios and five metro showcases.

Among the displayed vehicles at the opening event was the GV60 Magma Concept, marking the first time the model was shown in Australia.

Genesis Sydney goes beyond traditional car showrooms and embodies the brand’s Korean aesthetic philosophy emphasizing the “Beauty of White Space.”

Mike Song, Global Head of Genesis, told local journalists that the brand's aim isn’t restricted to sales. “We want to be recognized as a luxury brand that builds authentic connections with customers,” he remarked. “It’s not about selling one million or two million cars a year. We’re dedicated to building the brand in our own unique way — the Genesis way.”

The exterior of the Genesis Sydney showcase. Regarding Australia, Song noted that it’s a highly valuable market essential to the brand’s global success strategy. "With a deep-rooted motorsports culture and a consumer base that shows a strong interest in automotive technology and performance,” Song said, “Australia provides the perfect environment to effectively promote Genesis' high-performance models."

Jacky Ickx, left, a Belgian racing legend and Genesis Brand Partner, presented the winning trophy from his 1967 Bathurst 1000 victory to Bathurst Mayor Robert Taylor at the Bathurst racetrack on Jan. 30. Behind them, from left, are the X Gran Berlinetta Concept and the Ford Falcon XC V8, the car that Ickx drove to triumph 58 years ago. Delivered at the request of Ickx’s then-co-driver Allan Moffat, the trophy will be permanently displayed at the National Motor Racing Museum in Bathurst.

An iconic member of the high-performance Genesis Magma family, the X Gran Berlinetta Concept, featured at front above, was initially unveiled in December 2023, created as part of Polyphony Digital’s Vision Gran Turismo series. Before last week, it had never been seen in action. In the back is the GV60 Magma Concept, which made its dynamic debut on July 11, 2024, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, winning that year’s four-seater production car category in the Sunday Shootout.

“It’s not an easy place to drive racing cars,” Ickx said after completing several laps on the Bathurst racetrack in the X Gran Berlinetta Concept. “But it was an excellent decision to showcase Berlinetta here, as the Australian people have such a strong passion for Bathurst and motor racing. This place is truly one of a kind.”

After driving nearly 6,000 kilometers across the Saudi desert last month in the GV80 Desert Edition, Ickx said Genesis is undoubtedly taking bold strides into the unknown. “Even though Genesis makes luxury cars for the road, they still aim to have the energy and capability to perform on racetracks or in the desert,” he said. “What a privilege to be a part of that journey.”

BATHURST, Australia, Jan. 31, 2025 — International motor racing legend and 1977 Bathurst 1000 victor Jacky Ickx has returned to Mount Panorama, thrilling the crowds and reliving past glories by cutting some laps in the Genesis X Gran Berlinetta Concept as it made its global racetrack debut.

Ickx, whose epic motorsport career spans both many formulae and eras, took the wheel of this stunning Genesis concept car for some spirited laps during the build up to the Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race, giving the vehicle a fitting first dynamic outing. 

Known within the world of Genesis as the “Gentleman Disruptor,” the Brand Partner also drove the famous Bathurst track in the GV60 Magma Concept, an all-electric luxury vehicle that represents a new and exciting era for the Korean luxury brand. The GV60 Magma is on track to enter production later this year, becoming the first Genesis Magma model to go on sale. 

Genesis ultimately aims to develop a high-performance Magma model for each production vehicle in its lineup, maximizing both aesthetics and performance. 

Despite not having seen the globally revered Mount Panorama circuit for more than 45 years, Ickx was always going to remember his way around. 

“It’s been a while but what I felt and noticed was that, like all the world’s greatest motor racing circuits — Monaco, Nürburgring or Spa — it has barely changed over the years. They’ve put a kink in that giant Conrod Straight to slow people down, but it’s still a fantastically challenging track with plenty of rise and fall,” said Ickx. 

“I was blown away by the X Gran Berlinetta Concept, which was a wildly powerful and loud machine to drive. I could tell the crowd really enjoyed both the sight and the sound as I went by. 

“Being an EV, my laps in the Genesis GV60 Magma Concept were quite different, and a lot quieter, but the torque and the thrust you get from a modern electric vehicle like that… truly, it’s quite something. The GV60 Magma Concept feels a long way from the Ford Falcon I drove here last time, and quite a lot faster. 

“It was a real honor and pleasure, to show off these two very special vehicles for the public. And I loved the opportunity to tackle The Mountain again.” 

Ickx, who turned 80 on New Year’s Day, started out racing motorcycles in 1960 before accelerating into the world of Formula One in 1967, winning eight Grands Prix and scoring 25 podiums. The Belgian simultaneously tackled the world of endurance racing, winning the grueling 24 Hour race of Le Mans a then-record six times, and in 1977 achieved his famous Bathurst 1000 win at his first visit to the track, co-driving for Allan Moffat in the mighty Ford Falcon XC V8. 

He was united with that vehicle again on Jan. 30, and he was kind enough to hand over the winning trophy from 1977 to Bathurst Town Mayor Robert Taylor. 

At the request of Moffat, the trophy will now be permanently displayed in the National Motor Racing Museum (Mount Panorama), next to the 1977 Ford Falcon XC V8 both he and Ickx drove to victory that year. 

X Gran Berlinetta Concept 

The stunning X Gran Berlinetta Concept was created as part of Polyphony Digital’s Vision Gran Turismo series and first shown at the 2023 Gran Turismo World Series World Finals in Barcelona, Spain. It has been available to race in the virtual world of the game since January 2024. 

GV60 Magma Concept 

The bold-looking GV60 Magma Concept had previously demonstrated its exceptional capabilities on the famous Goodwood Hillclimb, claiming a class win in the four-seater production car category and taking an impressive 16th place overall in the weekend's Shootout. 

Genesis Magma Racing 

Genesis recently announced its intention to enter the world of endurance motorsport with the launch of the Genesis Magma Racing team and will compete in the prestigious World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2026, followed by the IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA) in 2027. 

This exciting venture will put Genesis on the world’s most challenging tracks, showcasing the brand’s engineering expertise and endurance capabilities while bringing the Genesis notion of “Athletic Elegance” to the world of motorsport. 

By entering the LMDh sports prototype category, Genesis joins an elite group of manufacturers vying for success on the world’s most prestigious racing stages. Iconic endurance events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Daytona 24 require teams to balance peak performance with durability and efficiency, testing both machinery and drivers to their limits.

SYDNEY, Jan. 20, 2025 — Genesis is set to open its largest retail space in Australia with the unveiling of a spectacular new flagship Genesis Sydney showcase on Parramatta Road in North Strathfield.

The opening of the state-of-the-art, landmark facility will be suitably celebrated with a cocktail party for customers and invited guests on Jan. 29, attended by Global Head of Genesis Mike Song, who is visiting Australia for the event, and motor racing legend and Genesis Brand Ambassador Jacky Ickx.

Also on display as the centrepiece of the opening festivities will be the instantly iconic GV60 Magma Concept, which will be making its first appearance in Australia.

This stunning addition to the Genesis retail network represents a major investment in the brand locally and is in line with the expansion of the Genesis model range globally.

The new Genesis Sydney facility is a visually spectacular space that goes beyond traditional car showrooms and embodies the Korean aesthetic philosophy emphasizing the “Beauty of White Space.”

It features space to display the audacious, progressive and distinctly Korean contours of eight Genesis vehicles internally, and a large range of vehicles externally, as well as two Customer Delivery Lounges and a conference space.

Parked front and center on the opening night will be the GV60 Magma Concept, which is on track to enter global production later this year, becoming the first Genesis Magma model to go on sale.

Genesis ultimately aims to develop a high-performance Magma model for each production vehicle in its lineup, maximizing both performance and aesthetics.

Head of Genesis Motors Australia, Justin Douglass, said it was an honor, and a recognition of the importance of the Australian market, to have Global Head of Genesis Song flying in to mark the occasion.

“This spectacular showcase, Genesis Sydney, truly is a landmark facility for our brand in Australia and represents a hallmark in quality for Genesis,” Douglass added.

“All of our showcases, and our two flagship studios, present the Genesis line-up in a stylish, minimalist environment, where customers can experience the unprecedented luxury that’s at the core of everything our brand does.

“You can see the distinctly Korean design that sets Genesis apart in the way this vast facility is laid out, but when you visit you can also sense it — the audacious and progressive approach that makes our brand stand out, and appeal to so many Australian customers.

“We warmly invite the people of Sydney to visit this new Genesis showcase, and to experience our vehicles for themselves.”

Ickx, who will attend the opening party, is in Australia to make his return to Mount Panorama for the first time since his 1977 Bathurst 1000 victory.

He will be driving the Genesis X Gran Berlinetta Concept for a series of demonstration laps at the Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race (Jan. 31 to Feb. 2) as it makes its global racetrack debut.

The GV60 Magma Concept will also be running laps at the Bathurst 12 Hour, having recently won its class at the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed — a hugely impressive first outing in what was the car’s global dynamic debut.

Since launching locally in 2019, Genesis has expanded its presence in Australia to seven locations across four states, including two flagship studios supported by five metro showcases.