Genesis Le Mans Hypercar Revealed Ahead of 2026 WEC Debut; Driver Lineup Announced

Genesis, Hyundai's premium, luxury brand, has revealed the GMR-001 hypercar for its move to the top class of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). The hypercar will race against the Alpine A424, Porsche 963, BMW M Hybrid V-8, and the Lamborghini SC63 in the LMDh (Le Mans Daytona h) category from 2026. It will enter the IMSA SportsCar Championship in North America the following year. 

Built to LMDh rules, the Genesis GMR-001 features a carbon chassis supplied by Oreca, one of four selected chassis manufacturers. The other three are Ligier, Dallara, and Multimatic. Though the powertrain details are under wraps, Genesis will equip the hypercar with a hybrid powertrain that is reported to incorporate a twin-turbo V8 based on the company's WRC motor. The existing LMDh rules enforce the usage of common hybrid components – a motor from Bosch, a battery from Williams Advanced Engineering, and a transmission from X-Trac. The Genesis LMDh contender will get rear-wheel drive tech and churn out a maximum output of 688bhp. It should weigh at least 1,030kg. 

Also Read: WEC: Hyundai LMDh Programme Announced Under Genesis Brand

As a prelude to the GMR-001's debut in 2026, Genesis, in partnership with the French IDEC Sport team, will send out the LMP2 ORECA-Gibson 07 for the 2025 European Le Mans Series. The in-house team named Genesis Magma Racing (GMR) – the newly formed racing arm of Genesis – will run the hypercar. Speaking of, the GMR-001 has aero-optimised bodywork with centrally mounted wings. Sleek, horizontal lights can be found wrapped around the front and rear. The latter has an active spoiler for balancing drag reduction. The side profile features a sweeping parabolic line similar to other Genesis cars, enhancing airflow toward the rear diffuser and improving downforce. 

Genesis Team Principal, Driver Lineup Announced

Aside from the big reveal, Genesis has announced the driver lineup that will be at the wheel – Andre Lotterer and Luis Felipe 'Pipo' Derani. The former is a three-time Le Mans winner, while the latter is a four-time Sebring 12 Hours winner who also raced at the IMSA GTP championship in 2023. The duo will take on the technical development duties for the hypercar and conduct simulator sessions to prepare for the debut LMDh season in 2026. 

Also Read: WEC: Mercedes to Make 2025 Le Mans Return with Iron Lynx in LMGT3 Class

Cyril Abiteboul, who formerly served as Renault F1 boss and is currently the president of Hyundai Motorsport, has been given the team principal role having helped bring Hyundai World Rally Championship titles. 'As the backbone of Hyundai Motor Group’s global motorsport activities, Hyundai Motorsport will play a vital role in this latest ambitious program. We are elevating our circuit racing expertise to a whole new level as we prepare to compete in some of the world’s most challenging series,' said Abiteboul. GMR will consolidate its operations at a strategic base at Circuit Paul Ricard in the south of France.