- Genesis put Jacky Ickx behind the wheel of the X Gran Berlinetta Concept at Bathurst
- The X Gran Berlinetta sounded like it had a V-8 rather than a V-6 hybrid powertrain
- Genesis is going racing with a V-8-powered hypercar both at Le Mans and around the world in 2026
Genesis has likely built another X Gran Berlinetta Concept car and put it on the track at Australia’s Bathurst Mount Panorama Motor Circuit with Jacky Ickx behind the wheel.
This is likely the third version of the car. The first X Gran Berlinetta Vision Gran Turisimo debuted as a full-scale model ahead of its video game debut in 2023. Genesis then said it built a working version of the hybrid hypercar in 2024. At the time of the transformation from concept to reality the car was modified into a race car.
Jacky Ickx and the Genesis GV60 Magma and X Gran Berlinetta Concepts
At the time it wasn’t understood that the automaker was telegraphing its future.
On Friday, Genesis brought Jacky Ickx back to the legendary Bathurst track. Ickx won the Bathurst 1000 45 years ago at the the Austrialian circuit. Ickx’s return, this time as a performance ambassador for Genesis, placed him behind the wheel of the electric Genesis GV60 Magma concept and the X Gran Berlinetta Concept.
Ickx noted he was “blown away by the X Gran Berlinetta Concept,” and described it as “wildly powerful and loud.”
The video posted to Genesis’ Instagram account and Ickx’s notes don’t jibe with what the Genesis originally claimed would power the car. Genesis said the X Gran Berlinetta Concept would be powered by a hybrid powertrain consisting of a V-6 engine mounted front-midship along with a single electric motor. The company said an electric compressor would help the gas engine produce 870 hp and the electric motor would add another 670 hp. Total system output was said to be 1,540 hp in concept form, and the original video game concept was said to have 1,071 hp.
As the video demonstrates, the car that ran at Bathurst sounded like it has a V-8 engine.
The concept running laps at Bathurst also had a center-mounted exhaust system, which was not found on the two original concepts.
Genesis X Gran Berlinetta Concept
The V-8 sound from the X Gran Berlinetta Concept doesn’t sound like most V-8s. That may be the result of putting two inline-4s together into a V configuration. That’s the powertrain with hybrid assist that Genesis is developing for the Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001 LMDh race car, which will head to Le Mans with the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2026. Genesis plans to go from scale model to Le Mans in just 18 months with its race car.
All of this is part of Genesis plan to target Mercedes’ AMG and BMW’s M brands with its Magma performance sub-brand in the coming years.
