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NEWS
PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Hyundai i20 to go rallying
Hyundai has built a race-ready i20 ahead of World Rally Championship returnHyundai is heading back to rallying. The Korean giant sprung one of the few surprises at the Paris Motor Show press day yesterday by pulling the sheets off a near race-ready, i20-based World Rally Championship (WRC) entrant.
The powered-up all-wheel drive is built to the latest WRC specifications and is likely to contest a number of shakedown events before making a full entry into the championship in 2014. In this regard Hyundai will be following MINI and Volkswagen.
With Volkswagen contesting its Polo WRC for the first full year in 2013, and Peugeot also a likely candidate to return to WRC competition, Hyundai's arrival could mean 2014 will be a bumper season.
Hyundai says the i20 is an in-house operation.
Autosport magazine says the European-built WRC i20 is "Hyundai's first World Rally Car since 2003, and the first WRC built by the Korean company itself". The previous WRC Hyundais were prepared and campaigned by British rally specialist Motor Sport Developments.
According to Hyundai "In 2003 Hyundai withdrew from motorsport to concentrate its efforts on developing an in-house WRC team in Europe, and to develop a performance rally car. The result is the debut of the WRC i20 in Paris."
Mark Hall, Marketing Director at Hyundai Motor Europe, commented: “The World Rally Championship is recognised as one of the most dramatic sporting series on Earth. It’s a spectacle filled with excitement and dynamism – the perfect embodiment of the Hyundai brand.
“The WRC also offers the most technologically-diverse challenge for an automotive manufacturer. Our participation will demonstrate Hyundai’s engineering excellence and durability, and will also help to enhance our road-going vehicles in future.”
The i20 WRC will be powered by a turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine and will feature all-wheel drive. No technical details have been announced.
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Written byMike Sinclair
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