This man really gets Genesis going

Somehow, Genesis is always good for a surprise. For example, how effortlessly the GV60 won the title of "Swiss Car of the Year 2023" in the year it went into series production against all established competitors. Or how the Genesis GV60 Magma Concept quickly - literally - took class victory and 16th place overall at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Or now that the American responsible for the brand's upcoming Magma models responds to our English greeting: "Feel free to speak German with me."

American-German dual national Tyrone Johnson is the man who has been pulling the strings of the future at the European Genesis Development Center since 2021 and has also been in charge of the European Technical Center of the parent company Hyundai since this year. Johnson's sporty, elegant style is as casually dynamic as "his" GV60 Magma Concept. And the engineer is someone from the automotive industry. He previously worked for Ford in Europe, the USA and China. His portfolio ranges from chief engineer for Europe's Ford racing department to cars for the then Ford subsidiary Volvo and head of development at Ford Performance. In other words: Fiesta ST or Focus RS are real Johnsons. The right man to drive evolution: The premium brand Genesis gets a high-performance range.

Its first model, the GV60 Magma, will be fully electric, but Johnson, who speaks German without an accent, emphasizes that Genesis remains open to new technologies. In the Magma program, from Genesis GV60 Magma Concept This man really gets Genesis going With the GV60 Magma Concept, Genesis is causing a stir - whether at the Goodwood Festival of Speed or at Auto Zürich. AutoSprintCH meets Tyrone Johnson. The chief developer at Genesis reveals when the electric dynamo GV60 Magma will go into series production and why Switzerland is so important for Genesis. The head of development and his coolest work: Tyrone Johnson from Genesis with the GV60 Magma Concept at Auto Zurich in November. The Magma will be launched at the end of 2025. Photos: Genesis/AutoSprintCH Genesis chief developer Tyrone Johnson in conversation with Timothy Pfannkuchen from AutoSprintCH. GENESIS SPECIAL www.autosprint.ch | December 28, 2024 / January 2025 With four concept cars already on the market (GV60 Magma Concept, G80 Magma Special, GV80 Coupé Concept and X Gran Berlinetta Concept), performance is the name of the game. Performance in the Genesis style, mind you. There are no performance figures yet. But the four-and-a-half meter long electric crossover GV60 already has up to 360 kW (490 hp). And the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N with 478 kW (650 hp) proves what the 800-volt drivetrain is good for. So does the GV60 Magma have 700 hp plus? "We at Genesis take a different approach," says Johnson. "Magma is not about a few more horsepower, nobody would have anything to gain from that. The GV60 Magma will offer more than adequate performance. But just more power or more top speed would be too trivial. It's about how it feels, about the emotional driving experience with luxurious aspirations." And what about the high weight of an EV? "EVs are heavier. But we have found a way to make the GV60 Magma feel light. I can't give anything away yet. But you'll like it - you'll be surprised."

The sound should also provide surprises. "We have developed a special sound for the Avas especially for use in Goodwood." Avas is the legally prescribed sound for electric cars at low speeds. "And we are developing this sound further. We believe that our approach solves a previously unresolved problem: the sound must provide acoustic input as to what is happening. At the steering wheel, you need to hear what your vehicle is doing, how it is moving. In Magma, you get this acoustic information."

We take another look at the GV60 Magma Concept with Johnson. Wider, lower, sporty in every detail - and almost outrageously good-looking. Why Magma, actually? "Magma is the energy from the core - the power that comes from within," explains Johnson. He points to details and tells us here and there "This will stay like this in series production" or sometimes "This will be dropped": The production vehicle should largely correspond visually to the concept, but of course there are details in studies that are not suitable for series production. Either way, there is no doubt that when the Genesis GV60 Magma goes into series production in the fourth quarter of 2025, it will be a dynamic eye-catcher.

Word on the street at Auto Zürich is that a number of countries were vying to present the concept car. Switzerland was awarded the contract. What makes Switzerland, once home to Europe's first Genesis studio (now also at home in Basel and Geneva as well as Zurich), so special? Switzerland is a test market for Europe in the premium segment, says Johnson. The industry knows: "If a vehicle is well received in Switzerland, it will be well received everywhere. And: Auto Zurich is the most important car show in the country."

By the way: If you missed the Genesis GV60 Magma, you can still take a look at it and be inspired: It will be on display at the Genesis Studio Zurich at Bahnhofstrasse 62 until January 31, 2025.