Genesis pulled the sheets off some “Magma” concepts just over a week ago. While a supercar and souped-up EV SUV attracted plenty of headlines, there was another car there that perhaps appealed to a more unorthodox subsection of automotive enthusiasts. Based on the Genesis G90 full-sizer came the Genesis Wingback, a wagon that certainly has at least the looks to go toe-to-toe with BMW’s own fast wagon, the M5 Touring.
Exploring the Genesis Wingback
The Genesis Wingback is pretty light on details, but we’ll share what we can. Underneath, it’s more or less a Genesis G90, which is the brand’s full-size luxury sedan. Similarities to the M5 Touring include all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission. However, this car likely makes around half the power the M5 Touring does — at least if it ships with engines standard to the G90. The dimensions, too, stay true to the G90 the car is based on. That means a 125-inch (3175 mm) wheelbase and 207-inch (5258 mm) overall length. For reference, that’s around seven inches longer than the M5 Touring.
Around back, stacked quad exhaust tips, widened wheel arches, an aggressive roof spoiler, and mostly new bodywork in general make the Wingback unmistakable for its G90 brother. Around the side, too, there’s no confusion. New vented fenders more closely resemble what you’d find on the Porsche Taycan than something wearing a Genesis badge. Split five-spoke wheels, too, look like something you’d find on a BMW product. Specifically, maybe the last generation BMW M2 CS? Even in front the Wingback turns up the heat, thanks to a sleeker look complemented by dive planes and spoilers.
Could the M5 Touring Rival Make it Into Production?
Even though Genesis hasn’t revealed strict production plans for the Wingback, it’s not totally out of the question. Multiple sources claim Genesis isn’t completely opposed to the idea. “We are really committed to these designs,” Manfred Harrer, head of the Genesis and Performance Tech Unit within Hyundai Motor Group’s R&D department, told Motor Trend in November. The same Motor Trend article credits “one Genesis source” as “hinting out V8 development.” The source indicated that the V8 would be used specifically for high-performance vehicles, including the top-end “Magma” vehicles that will best personify performance for the brand. That includes, most radically, a mid-engined supercar.
Regardless, if you do want one, we recommend letting Genesis know. After all, a worst case scenario to us feels like a rerun of the M3 Touring disappointment; that being, the rest of the world gets a super cool wagon that the U.S. doesn’t because the manufacturer can’t make a strong enough business case for it. For now, anyway, the M5 Touring competitors are few and far between. Whether or not Genesis will join the list soon remains to be seen. But we have to admit: we kinda like what we see.
