[JayPrashanth]

Hyundai has entered the World Rally Championship (WRC) with the i20 hatchback, a rival to the likes of the Ford Fiesta and the Peugeot 208s in the rallying scene. The WRC-spec i20 is likely to be the basis for a high performance road going version that will tag along with the next-generation model of the i20.



Note: Hyundai WRC-spec i20 used in this report is illustrative in nature.

The high performance version of the i20 will mark the arrival of Hyundai's new performance car division, the rival to the likes of Nissan's NISMO and Toyota's TRD high performance car divisions. The next-gen i20 is undergoing tests across the globe and is likely to be launched in India and across the globe next year.

The high performance car to be based on the next-gen i20 is touted to debut in 2015. The modified version of the car that will be aimed at performance hatchback enthusiasts will also form the basis for Hyundai's 2015 WRC entry. Apart from the high performance version of the next-gen i20 hatchback, Hyundai is likely to treat more cars from its line up with performance parts.

Also, Overdrive Editor, Mr Bertrand D'Souza has tweeted that the 2014 WRC-spec i20's bodyshell will be built in India. With that development in place, Hyundai's Indian factory at Sriperumbudur, off Chennai, could play a pivotal role in the car maker's future plans for its high performance division.

The South Korean car maker has just inaugurated a test facility at the Nurburgring in Germany, one that is likely to improve the ride and handling characteristics of future Hyundai cars. This facility's inputs could prove to be crucial for cars rolling out from Hyundai's brand new performance division.

Eventually, the trickle down effect from Hyundai's WRC efforts and the performance division are likely to make Hyundai cars more fun to drive, a major departure from the bouncy, and insipid ride and handling most Hyundai cars sold globally are known to come with. The car maker is already off to a promising start.

Source Drive.Au

[ecenandu]

Good move, Hyundai.

Does this means that the future Hyundai's will get much better steering feedback or say, be a better driver's car. I want some of their performance wing engineering stuff to percolate down to the production variants, at least we, consumers, will have some thing to cheer about.

A little OT, I along with my friends went for a small trip, with me driving the Verna for 500 odd Kms in a day. I absolutely love the performance of the engine but steering feels so vague and its not so confidence inspiring. I did love it on straight highways but on twisty mountain roads, not much. The same week, I had an opportunity to drive my aunt's Linea, wah, an absolute driver's delight, steering feedback is light years ahead of the Verna but only if Fiat had sorted the notchy gearbox.

[deetjohn]

Read the full TG UK report here: N power: get ready for hot Hyundais

Excerpts:

Hyundai is going to build fast cars. Proper, hot cars. Yep, came as a bit of a surprise to us, too. But today, at the same time it pulled the wraps off its new 2014 WRC contender, the Korean marque announced that it will launch a performance sub-brand, called... N.

Anyhow. Here's what we do know. Although Hyundai has a test centre at the Nurburgring, N stands for Namyang. That's Hyundai's R&D centre in Korea, implying, we surmise, this will be a global project, not a localised European one. It's also the first occasion that anyone has tried to make the letter ‘N' sound fast: makes a change from ‘R', ‘S' or ‘GT'.

There is also a tie-in between N and the rally car. The new colour scheme, greyish-blue ("like the Korean sky", Peter Schreyer told TopGear today) and fluorescent red, will likely be the signature colours for the N brand. Any similarities with the old Gulf racing colours is purely coincidental. But also rather excellent. No i20 has ever looked as good as this WRC car.

2014 i20 WRC shown just for illustration





Note from Mod: Thread soon to be merged with this one

[deetjohn]

Hyundai previewed the styling of its next-generation WRC rally car, based on the new i20 at Frankfurt.









That giant N decal on the airdam looks a bit off, they should have given it on the side.

Source

[volkman10]

WRC rising star Haydon Paddon was left as gutted as his car following his accident on Rally Portugal, in which his Hyundai i20 was completely destroyed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p_m79bwKZw

http://www.motor1.com/news/62917/hyu...ally-portugal/