It’s rare these days for us automotive journalists to be genuinely surprised by something. Typically we receive images and information about new cars and concept under embargo ahead of the actual reveals, and it’s common for new models to be teased or camouflaged prototypes to be spied well before they’re ready for primetime. But yesterday at the reveal event for the Genesis GV60 Magma at Circuit Paul Ricard, the automaker served us one of the best surprises in my lifetime. At first it was a single image of a car we’d never seen before projected on screen for just a couple seconds, eliciting a frenzy of “what the hell is that?” whispers from us all in the stand. Then a few minutes later the car drove out on stage to much applause: the G90 Magma Wingback concept, probably the coolest wagon ever.
It wouldn’t have been surprising if Genesis said the Wingback was just a styling exercise, something no one could actually buy that would be relegated to the lobby of a design studio or maybe a Pebble Beach showcase. But I hope you’re sitting down and bracing yourselves for this — in a media roundtable today, president and chief creative officer Luc Donckerwolke said the G90 Magma Wingback was envisioned as a coachbuilt model, but it could easily be produced in larger numbers.
It could go into volume production
No, seriously. This wouldn’t just be relegated to the brand’s one-of-one program, despite that being how the project started. Donckerwolke said the Wingback is executable very fast with a minimal level of expense, and that if the production tooling is affordable for a certain level of volume production, Genesis is looking into it. “A limited number of vehicles is no problem,” he added. Genesis has been toying with the idea of G90-based coachbuilt models for a while, having debuted the stunning X Gran Coupe and Convertible concepts earlier this year, both of which could also be built in customers want them. Donckerwolke acknowledged that powerful station wagons are clearly popular, especially in the U.S., and that with the oversaturation of SUVs in the market wagons will become more interesting and attractive again.
The Wingback doesn’t have any modifications to the G90 sedan‘s platform, and its wheelbase and overall length are identical. Genesis is already working on a high-performance Magma version of the G90, so the platform and twin-turbo V6 engine are prepared for that. As Magma models are as much about added luxury as they are about increased performance, the Wingback was designed as a Magma from jump, as would be any other potential coachbuilt models. During yesterday’s presentation, Donckerwolke said the design team’s nickname for the car is Dr. Evil.
Wider and meaner
And my God, does it look absolutely spectacular. Obviously the wagon roofline is the main event here. The rear glass is nicely raked, with a large pass-through spoiler at the top of the tailgate and another lip spoiler just below the glass above the taillights. The side quarter windows come to a sharp point at the D-pillar, and the rear doors and their windows are unique to the Wingback. My favorite detail might be the fins at the back half of the roofline, like the ones on the current Porsche 911 GT3 RS.
The Wingback has a wider body than a normal G90, evident when looking at the fenders and haunches. There’s a prominent vent behind the front wheel, created by the difference in width between the fender and the front door. That wider body provides space for a serious set of rubber — the Wingback is riding on 22-inch BBS-esque forged wheels with 315-width tires in the rear. The front bumper has larger, more aggressive intakes with canards at the edges, while the rear bumper has a new diffuser with stacked dual exhaust in staggered sizes.
The best kind of surprise
Genesis kept the doors closed, but the interior looked basically identical to the G90 sedan, just with its own color and materials scheme. The front seats did look sportier than the G90’s normal units, with a Magma-specific stitching pattern. In the back there seemed to be just two seats with a fixed center console that has its own touchscreen and set of controls, like on higher-end G90s. Sadly, Genesis wouldn’t open up the tailgate to let us see how much cargo space is back there, but given how massive the G90’s trunk is, the Wingback would probably be quite practical.
The G90 Magma Wingback concept wasn’t the only incredible surprise. Genesis also debuted the Magma GT concept, which the brand created because it wants to enter GT3 racing. To do that, automakers need to build at least 250 homologated road cars, but Genesis won’t be doing that. Instead, the Magma GT will be a full series production model, with Donckerwolke saying they’re already planning for a full lineup of model variants ranging from the as-shown base model to a GT3 road car.
