HYUNDAI READY FOR WRC RETURN

• Hyundai is poised to return to the World Rally Championship (WRC)

• Rally-ready model, based on New i20, unveiled at Paris Motor Show

• Realisation of long-term strategy to set-up in-house WRC team in Europe

Hyundai is poised to return to the FIA World Rally Championship (better known as the WRC) and has today unveiled a rally-ready version based on the New i20 at the Paris Motor Show.

The WRC is one of the world's toughest motorsport series, and the vehicle has been engineered to overcome the extreme terrains and weather conditions that competitors face.

Following its withdrawal from motorsport in 2003, Hyundai's long-term goal was to set up an in-house WRC team in Europe and develop a performance rally car, resulting in the WRC i20's debut 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 passenger vehicles in future.'

Hyundai's rally history

The company's involvement in the sport began in 1998, when it competed in the F2 class of the WRC for two seasons. In 1999, the team announced it would step up to the top class in 2000, rallying a fully-developed WRC car based on the three-door Accent, which competed until 2003.

About the WRC

The WRC is regulated and controlled by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body for worldwide motorsport.

Current World Rally cars are based on 1.6-litre production models, and feature dramatic aerodynamic enhancements, 4x4 systems, turbochargers, sequential gearboxes and other high-tech additions.

by Hyundai