Henceforth, sporting Hyundais will be marked with the letter N. The Korean automaker is launching “N” as a performance sub-brand to coincide with the official reveal of its i20 WRC car.
The new moniker will launch with a tie-in to the i20 rally car, featuring prominently with its Shell Helix livery. Additionally, Hyundai promises more factory-produced performance models wearing N badges in the future. The letter N was chosen in honor of Hyundai’s Namyang R&D center, says the automaker, though realistically it also happens to be one of the few remaining letters that hasn’t yet been commandeered by another company.
The i20 WRC was first revealed at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, but it was just a prototype car. Since then, Hyundai has formed a fully supported race team to go head to head against more established rivals.
Former Citroen driver Thierry Neuville and former Mini driver Dani Sordo have come on board as the A team for Hyundai-Shell. In addition, Juho Hänninen and Chris Atkinson pilot a second car in select races during the 2014 season.
Performance specs of the i20 WRC weren’t disclosed, but fans will be able to see it in action when it debuts at the 82nd Monte Carlo Rally January 16.
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