Genesis turned its luxury SUV into a desert rig so racing legend and F1 champion Jacky Ickx could chase the legendary race in style.

Belgian racing legend Jacky Ickx took part this month in the 2025 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia behind the wheel of a one-off Genesis GV80 SUV called the Desert Edition.

Genesis is no Land Rover. The Korean automaker is not known for blending off-road performance and luxury into a single, capable package. Nonetheless, the Genesis GV80 Desert Edition exists, and it appears to be a pretty good effort overall.

The motorsport legend, now 80 years old, completed this year’s 6,000km Dakar Rally in a special edition off-road version of the GV80 SUV built for him by the luxury Korean maker.

Jacky Ickx recounts his 6,000km journey in GV80 Desert Edition from Bisha to Shubaytah as part of the 2025 Dakar Rally During the journey Ickx stopped at each bivouac to share his insights

Genesis has created an exclusive edition of the GV80 SUV, named "Desert Edition", to celebrate the 80th birthday of Jacky Ickx, the 1983 Dakar Rally winner and brand ambassador.

Genesis has created a one-off GV80 SUV designed to celebrate the 80 th birthday of racing driver Jacky Ickx. Ickx won the 1983 Dakar event and is an ambassador for the Genesis brand He also advises on development of future Genesis cars, including the upcoming new Magma series of high-performance models.

Jacky Ickx completes Dakar 2025 journey in unique Genesis GV80 Desert Edition Legendary racing driver and 1983 Dakar winner returns as honorary guest with exclusive Genesis tribute model

Genesis has introduced the GV80 Desert Edition, designed for the 2025 Dakar Rally. The one-off features an upgraded suspension and a bunch of off-road accessories. Racing legend Jacky Ickx used it to track over 6,