Genesis Is Heading For Le Mans

Genesis, the luxury sub-brand launched by Hyundai in 2015, has announced it’s taking its first steps into motorsport, as it’s set to join the growing list of OEM companies fielding entries at the top level of endurance racing.

The announcement comes after several years of rumours that Hyundai was looking to take advantage of the new LMH and LMDh regulations, shared by the two top endurance racing series – the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship.

Genesis’ announcement is minimal at best, only confirming that it plans to enter at an unspecified date. It’s set to utilise the LMDh rules, which means its car will be based around one of four off-the-shelf chassis and a regulation hybrid system, paired with Genesis’ own engine and bodywork.

This is the ruleset used by Acura, BMW, Cadillac, Porsche, Alpine and Lamborghini, as opposed to the more bespoke LMH rules favoured by Ferrari, Toyota, Peugeot and, from next year, Aston Martin. Both classes are able to compete against one another in both championships.

So far, it’s only confirmed it’s planning on competing in the FIA’s World Endurance Championship – of which the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the centrepiece event – but according to Daily Sports Car, industry sources reckon it’s set to launch a parallel effort in IMSA. The same rumours also suggest it’s looking at a 2026 entry to both series.

It’ll be the debut of the Genesis brand in racing, but Hyundai currently fields TCR touring cars in various global championships, competed at Pikes Peak this year, and most notably, is one of only two fully-fledged factory teams currently competing in the World Rally Championship.

In WRC, it currently leads the manufacturers’ championship and its drivers occupy the top two spots in the drivers’ standings. Rumours are increasingly swirling, though, that the manufacturer could shift focus to the endurance programme, leading to a private team fielding its WRC cars from 2026, in a similar setup to Ford’s current arrangement with M-Sport.