Genesis GV60 is now Magma hot

Korean brand enters the high-performance arena with a bright orange 641bhp super-EV

- Phil McNamara [e-mail]

GENESIS' fiery performance brand starts here, with a GV60 Magma that launches from 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds. That's only a few tenths slower than a McLaren Artura: not bad for an all-electric hot hatch set to cost around £80,000.

We've examined a prototype and spoken to Tyrone Johnson, Genesis vehicle development director, to discover the meaning of Magma.

"These are performance cars, but Magma's objective is not merely to be the fastest or have the highest horsepower. What we're interested in is the driver experience, the feeling of connection to the car," he said.

Johnson, who started his career at Ford and led development on ST and RS hot hatches, reckons the most connected he's ever felt to a car was driving a Formula Ford single-seater.

"I've never driven another car that's given me that feeling, although we're getting so much closer." The Magma trumps today's flagship GV60 Performance model (which sends 483bhp to all four wheels) by bumping standard power up to 601bhp, and torque to 740Nm.