The New Zealand designed and built Hyundai Kona EV rally car project commenced in 2018 with the design process. Throughout 2019 the final design was put in place before construction began on this all-new car – everything on and in the car was designed with a fresh perspective and vision. The car was much more than just a new powertrain and battery. The team thought BIG!
Paddon Rallysport revealed the completed, fully functional Hyundai Kona EV rally car to the world in November 2020, showing what this passionate, dedicated, privately-owned team is capable of achieving. and take their Kiwi built project to the world to showcase the advancements of new technology.
Following months of testing and development, the Hyundai Kona EV rally car made its competition debut in the South Island town of Waimate with Hayden at the wheel. With flawless precision, Hayden piloted the Kona EV to victory on debut, winning the 4km hillclimb with his best time of one minute, 58.38 seconds.
READ MOREThe concept for the AP4 category stemmed from a collaboration between MotorSport New Zealand (MSNZ) and the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) to develop technical regulations for a new generation of 4WD turbocharged rally car eligible for competition in both national and international events within the Asia Pacific region.
The Hyundai i20 AP4 was the first-ever New Zealand-developed Hyundai rally car and signalled the commencement of the strong partnership between Hayden and Hyundai New Zealand. The car was built and developed by Paddon Rallysport in conjunction with well-known rally driver and fabricator Andrew Hawkeswood of Force Motorsport during 2015-16. Hayden and co-driver John Kennard debuted the Hyundai i20 AP4 at Rally Otago in April 2016, winning the event outright before returning to their WRC duties that year.
READ MORERally2 is the category of rally cars specified for the WRC2 class of the FIA World Rally Championship. The Hyundai i20 N Rally2 is built by Hyundai Motorsport in Germany by their Customer Racing department and will be developed and run by Paddon Rallysport in the WRC2 Championship.
The car is based on the new road-going Hyundai i20 N chassis which brings the high-performance of Hyundai’s N brand to the i20 range for the first time to create a hatchback with racetrack capability and motorsport-derived performance.
Rally2 cars run 1.6-litre, fuel-injected, turbocharged 4-cylinder engines with a power output of around 285bhp (212kW). They run permanent 4WD and a 5-speed sequential gearbox. Minimum weight is 1230kg, or 1390kg with driver and co-driver. To be eligible for the Rally2 category, manufacturers must have made at least 2500 examples of the road-going version of their nominated vehicle model in the previous 12 months.
READ MOREThe Hyundai brand has grown rapidly into a global auto industry powerhouse. But first and foremost, Hyundai New Zealand is a New Zealand company. All our dealerships – and Hyundai’s head office – are 100% owned and operated by New Zealanders. That’s something we’re pretty proud of. This structure gives you the best of both worlds. The benefits of global resources and the huge investment in Research & Development that Hyundai makes, combined with our local commitment and understanding.
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