• Swindon & Wiltshire Motors
• Wednesday December 1 2021
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Hyundai scoops highest accolades at Top Gear Awards

Hyundai has taken the highest honours at the Top Gear annual awards 2021, winning Car of the Year with i20N and being named overall Manufacturer of the Year winner in recognition of the brand’s class-leading model line-up.

The i20N recently triumphed at the Top Gear Speed Week test to claim the coveted Performance Car of the Year title from a group of 26 contenders during a series of thorough tests.

The judging panel – comprised of Top Gear’s expert editorial team alongside Chris Harris and The STIG – crowned the i20N overall winner after a series of gruelling tests against models from some of the most evocative performance car brands in the world.

The combination of i20N’s thrilling handling and rounded abilities ultimately won the team over.

Jack Rix, editor of Top Gear Magazine, said: “We already knew how brilliant the i20N was after it brushed aside 25 other competitors at our recent Speed Week test to claim our coveted Performance Car of the Year title.

“But you don’t win the top prize in our annual awards without proving your all-round brilliance.

“Having shone on British racetracks and B-roads we decided to throw it in at the deep end to prove its greatness, with an adventure across the Australian outback.

“What we discovered was a low-slung hot hatch that remained both comfortable and completely unflustered across oppressively large distances, and on washboard road surfaces.

“A little Hyundai hatchback that did so well, so far out of its comfort zone, that it was impossible to do anything but make it our overall Car of the Year.”

The all-new i20N builds on the strengths of Hyundai’s renowned, performance-focused N brand and the success of the recently launched all-new i20.

Hyundai’s latest sporting icon also takes inspiration and engineering values from the multiple-rally-winning i20 Coupe WRC car.

It is equally at home delivering its unique brand of exhilarating performance both on the road and racetrack.

Hyundai was also named Manufacturer of the Year. Through 2021 Hyundai has launched a broad mix of new models across categories, from the i20N that delivers World Rally Championship-inspired styling and performance from just £24,995, to the all-new battery-electric Ioniq 5, the first model in its new IONIQ line-up.

Jack added: “We’ve been here before. Three years ago, we named Hyundai our Manufacturer of the Year. That was based on a trio of impressive products, both naughty (the i30N hot hatch) and nice (the hybrid Ioniq and electric Kona).

“They all remain on sale, joined by an even more diverse cast of characters.

“This year, it’s the sheer breadth of talent in Hyundai’s line up that swayed us: hot hatches (i30N, i20N), hot crossovers (Kona N), hydrogen fuel cell cars (Nexo) and EV that looks and goes better than anything out there (Ioniq 5).

“Hyundai is smashing it right across the board. We’ve known for a while that the Koreans are coming. Well, they’re not any more. They’re here, and they’re doing it better than anyone else.”

Ashley Andrew, managing director of Hyundai Motor UK, said: “The Top Gear Awards recognise the best the industry has to offer.

“I’m delighted to see Hyundai recognised as industry leader for its product with i20 N lining up against genuine icons of the car world and toppling all of them to take overall Car of the Year.

“To then go on and take Manufacturer of the Year is testament to the design innovation and technical prowess built into our entire range.

“Hyundai offers the most diverse range in the industry and has cemented itself as a pioneer in zero-emission mobility, including its fully-electric Kona Electric and game-changing Ioniq 5.”