Quick, name a rally powerhouse. Subaru? Lancia? How about Hyundai.
Hyundai? Yes, Hyundai.
Thanks in part to a double-podium finish at the Rally Monza, the finale of the 2020 FIA World Rally Championship season, Hyundai secured its second WRC manufacturer trophy with a total of 241 points (with Toyota Gazoo behind with a close 236 points).
Using two heavily modified i20s—a …
Hyundai and Toyota tease us so badly by not giving us their best rally inspired offerings, then proclaim that young people aren't interested in automotive performance.
In reply to captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :
I feel that pain, though I'll be the first to admit that even if they were offered here, I wouldn't be able to afford them (at least not without bankrupting my family).
Someday when I make my millions, though, I'll make sure to call up Mr. Toyota and Mr. Hyundai.
captdownshift (Forum Supporter) said:Hyundai and Toyota tease us so badly by not giving us their best rally inspired offerings, then proclaim that young people aren't interested in automotive performance.
Isn't the i20 just some plebe hatchback?
Ford sold Zetec powered Focuses here for years and people didn't go WRC-crazy over ZX3s. Skoda wasn't sold in the US but the chassis-mate to the Octavia, the A4-chassis VW Jetta, was sold here in bazillions, even with the 1.8t engine, and people didn't buy them because they were omg rallycar. (WRC rules said the block and crank had to be OE parts. Not sure about the Skoda, but the WRC Focus used a Zetec block and a crank from some Diesel that was based on the CVH/Zetec architecture.)
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
Pretty sure people didn't buy them because they lacked the two things people love about rally cars- AWD, and a Turbo.
Look at the STI, look at the EVO. "young people aren't interested", my ass.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
A 200hp 6 spd manual with a proper limited slip plebe hatchback
So exactly the market Ford vacated when dropping the ST options, which suffered because Ford can't make a automatic transmission that doesn't implode in the not ST cars.
I understand not everybody can drop $30,000 to $35,000 on a new hot hatch, but performance wise unless you want to a mullet and get a 3700+lb muscle sled posing as a pony car, there's not much that punches at the performance potential of the I20N or Yaris GR, and what does isn't capable of being a daily driver for most people even if they don't have children. The Veloster N, Golf R and Civic R are the closest that we have to either of these two offerings and they do quite well with their cult following, they're also significantly larger and are more often cross-shopped with smaller less powerful rear wheel drive offerings, then anything larger. Your Veloster N, Golf R and Civic R owners are more likely to pay attention to formula drift, F1 or WRC then they are NHRA or Nascar, The whole segment is different than the mustang and Camaro buyer. There's a much larger overlap amongst those buyers with Miata and Frisbee owners. In terms of where they go for meets who, they hang out with, vendors they shop from, and what automotive related activities they do. Marketing amongst automotive execs in North America is abysmal, they seem to have forgotten that there's nothing wrong with having a halo car that costs less than $40,000.
Very cool. I was a rabid WRC follower at one time and it was primarily the reason I began my love and ownership of Subarus. If I recall correctly the WRC series use to be covered on Speedvision (or one of it's derivatives) and I watched every race enthusiastically. When Mitsu and Subie dropped out my interest waned and then the series was no longer carried in North America, or I couldn't get it at any rate. I miss those days. Congrats to Hyundai.
Vajingo said:In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
Pretty sure people didn't buy them because they lacked the two things people love about rally cars- AWD, and a Turbo.
Look at the STI, look at the EVO. "young people aren't interested", my ass.
But that isn't what the street version of WRCars are.
captdownshift (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
A 200hp 6 spd manual with a proper limited slip plebe hatchback
So exactly the market Ford vacated when dropping the ST options, which suffered because Ford can't make a automatic transmission that doesn't implode in the not ST cars.
Can Hyundai? Last I heard, the DCT mated to the 1.6t is no beacon of reliability.
IMO, i30N would be a great thing here and people might actually want it. Hell, I would be interested in an i30 (elantra hatchback) with the 1.6t drivetrain, but they are damn near impossible to find. The i20 is more accent sized (although somehow still the same weight as a Veloster from what I just read). I do not see it selling well here, and I think Hyundai knows that.
I am very pro-Hyundai at this point.
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