- Genesis is developing its own LMDh race car to compete in endurance events.
- Now, it says it’s using Hyundai’s 1.6-liter turbo four-cylinder to create a new V8.
- The new race car will be unveiled in April, with testing set to start in August.
In 2026, Genesis plans to enter the World Endurance Championship with an all-new car. While it’s been known for a while that it will feature a V8, today we’re getting more details. The automaker confirmed it will use the 1.6-liter platform Hyundai employs for WRC, but also discussed the challenge of building a race car from scratch for a brand with no racing history.
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Cyril Abiteboul, team principal of Genesis Magma Racing, previously explained that Genesis opted for the V8 engine due to a tight development timeline. To save time, the team decided to leverage a proven platform. In a recent interview, he elaborated on the reasoning behind that choice.
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“We elected to go with a V8, precisely because the V8 was a great opportunity not to have to redesign a complete engine from scratch and instead take inspiration from our [Hyundai Motor Group’s] existing WRC [World Rally Championship] engine, a very competitive 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-four that we’ve been using for several years. We took that engine and made it two times four in line, which gives us a V8,” Abiteboul explained.
Hyundai’s WRC program has been wildly successful, with two manufacturers’ championships, a driver’s title, and 29 rally victories to its name. Genesis is clearly hoping that some of that winning DNA will translate into endurance racing glory.
Getting there will mean more than just building a highly powerful and efficient V8 though. That’s one reason it teamed up with Oreca, a French chassis developer well known for its famous Dodge Vipers in the early 2000s. It currently builds chassis for Alpine and Acura.
We’ll all get a chance to see the car in full glory later this year in April before it begins testing in August. Genesis plans to join the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2027 and hopefully compete at Le Mans the same year. Why jump into some of the hardest racing on earth?
Abiteboul specifically called out that Genesis wants to build a legacy of racing at some of the most prestigious venues. The team has already secured its drivers and its chief engineer. Now, all that’s left to do is begin testing which is a full-time job.
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Photos Genesis
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