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Hyundai Scores Two Big Wins at Top Gear Annual Awards

Less than a decade ago, Hyundai was a brand many would dismiss. Today, it stands as the winner of Top Gear's Car of the Year, and Best Manufacturer of the Year awards, respectively. Here's a bit about what made them the obvious choice.
Hyundai Top Gear Awards issue 6 photos
Photo: Top Gear
Hyundai KONA NHyundai KONA N and IONIQ 5Hyundai i20 NIONIQ 5i20 N
We've known for a little while that the i20 N was a Top Gear favorite. During Speedweek 2021, it won Performance Car of the Year. It had to knock off 25 other contenders that included cars from McLaren, Lamborghini, Porsche, and Ferrari.

As a proud Nthusiast myself, it is most thrilling to see our all-new i20 N be selected as the Top Gear Speed Week champion among 26 fastest cars in the world, and ultimately establish a winning reputation as the Car of the Year.

N will continue to do what it loves and does best to win the hearts of car enthusiasts around the world,
" said Till Wartenberg, the VP of Hyundai's N Brand Management Motorsport division.

Of course, today's awards are even more prestigious. Car of the Year (not just performance car) goes to the same i20 N. Top Gear says that it gets it because it's a great hot hatch and incredibly versatile. Jack Rix, Editor of Top Gear Magazine, said it best:

"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...

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.


Winning Manufacturer of the Year for the second time in four years was a product of the well-rounded lineup that Hyundai is now offering. Top Gear cited cars like the i20 N, i30 N, KONA N, and IONIQ 5. Rix praised the brand as a whole.

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

We might not have access to the i20 or i30 here, but we do have cars like the Veloster N and the Elantra N-Line. They're a clear indication that Rix is right. Hyundai is here to stay.
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