Hyundai Motor claims 3rd at WRC

Hyundai Motor’s i20 rally car competes in the Wales Rally in the U.K. Sunday. Hyundai finished third in the 2015 World Rally Championship. / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor

By Park Jin-hai

Hyundai Motor came in third at the World Rally Championship (WRC) 2015, right behind Volkswagen and Citroen, said the company, Monday.

The WRC, together with F1, is one of the two most popular global motorsporting events, where global manufacturers pit their rally cars against each other in 13 regional competitions on four continents over a year.

By closing the last three-day Wales Rally on Sunday, Hyundai’s i20 rally car scored a total of 224 points, just six points behind second-ranked Citroen. It had a hefty lead by more than 40 points over the fourth-placed Ford.

Hyundai came fourth last year.

The nation’s largest carmaker, aiming to strengthen global awareness of its driving performance, has been participating in the international motorsport since 2012. The company launched the Hyundai Motorsport GmbH headquartered in Alzenau, Germany, where it has been developing its i20 rally car.

In 2014, Hyundai established a high-performance vehicle-development division here, tapping Albert Biermann, chief engineer for BMW’s M performance cars, as company vice president in charge of research and development for high-performance vehicles.

By advancing in the global motorsports arena, Hyundai’s development of high-performance vehicles is expected to gain further momentum.

Hyundai’s technology developed through participation in successive international motor rallies will be incorporated into producing its mass-produced Hyundai cars including the premium Genesis brand.

In September, Hyundai launched its high-performance sub-brand N, named after its Namyang Research Center. The carmaker aims to deliver the first production car under the N brand in 2017.

“The high-performance and luxury car segments have remained the last frontier for us. The i20 car, developed without much prior knowledge of global motorsports, has now become the symbol of confidence for researchers. That pride earned has become an engine fueling Hyundai’s next challenge for the luxury Genesis as well,” said a Hyundai Motor official.

“There is a close connection between the rally car and mass-produced Hyundai cars in terms of concept and development. Hyundai Motorsport GmbH is sending back data on vehicle durability, while the Namyang Research Center is developing the next-generation rally car,” he added.

The company which recently launched the luxury brand will produce a total of six models including a luxury high-performance model by 2020.

In the meantime, Hyundai’s new i20 rally car, which will compete next season, will get a new engine and adopt a friction-reducing transmission. The company is currently running final tests. With the newly upgraded vehicle, Hyundai says it aims to compete for the top place next year.