Paddon scores career best with second place at WRC Italy
New Zealand’s most successful rally driver Hayden Paddon has ably demonstrated his star potential having secured a history-making, career-best second place at this weekend’s Rally Italy Sardinia.
Hayden Paddon flying through the Rally Italy course. Click to enlarge.
Paddon and co-driver John Kennard marked their first anniversary with Hyundai Motorsport by creating a double podium finish with Belgium team-mates Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul for the World Rally Championship’s newest manufacturer.
Paddon and Kennard led the rally from the start of Friday’s action – the first New Zealanders to lead an overseas WRC event – and only relinquished that lead on Saturday afternoon’s loop after leading the rally outright for 15 stages. They delivered Sunday’s results exactly to plan, securing their fourth stage win of this rally and safely getting to the finish despite some niggles with their Hyundai i20 WRC car.
Paddon described his first-ever WRC podium finish – the best result by a New Zealander in an overseas WRC rally – as a dream result.
Paddon said: “To finish on the podium is an absolutely amazing feeling. Words can’t really do justice to how I’m feeling right now.
The team at Bowater Hyundai are very proud of what Hayden has achieved, and super excited to have him coming to our dealership in a few short weeks. If you are a fan of motorsport, or a keen to meet a top level athlete performing at his peak on the world stage, set aside some time on Tuesday July 14th. This a great chance for everyone to come along and get a chance to meet this amazing driver at the peak of his career over the course of the day. There will be several opportunities at several different events planned.
The response to the podium placing for Paddon and his co-driver John Kennard has been intense as the media takes notice of this rising star that has been working hard on his craft for many years now.
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Hyundai goes upmarket, with a luxurious statement
Hyundai Genesis - a 4 door luxury push into the sedan market. Click to enlarge.
As the new Hyundai Genesis Luxury Sedan makes it's way to our Bowater Hyundai showroom during March, the motoring press nationwide are being to froth at the statement this vehicle is making, and the quite nice feathers it is ruffling at the top edge of the pecking order.
Dave Leggett from the Waikato Times has this to say.
Hyundai is back in the prestige car market with a four door sedan that aims to take on the best from Asia and Europe. And the Genesis might just be the beginning of a new chapter for the Korean car maker.
The car in the rear view mirror was quickly gaining on us.
It's deep squarish grille, set prominently between the sharp edged lights, looked familiar.
It's huge and it makes a big statement. It could have been an Audi. But it wasn't. The angles on the grille weren't quite right for a model from Ingolstadt and this car was something completely new on New Zealand highways.
The newcomer was Hyundai's new Genesis, the Korean carmaker's move into the premium sector of the market. And its size and styling will help it it fit in as a realistic alternative to similar-sized models from the top European and Japanese brands.
The Genesis was first developed as competition for the German prestige car makers on the North American market and the model is now an established model in the premium sector in the US in both sedan and coupe body styles. But the first-generation car was only available in left-hand drive and New Zealand has had to wait until the second-generation car came along to get a right-hand-drive version.
The Genesis was launched in New Zealand last week just in time for the Cricket World Cup Hyundai is a major sponsor.
Genesis the $100,000 Hyundai
Hyundai's most expensive sedan is the Genesis, which is about to be launched in New Zealand.
Hyundai is entering New Zealand's luxury car market with its most expensive model yet.
We take a look at what motoring journalist Rob Maetzig has to say from the launch of the sedan called Genesis, as published in the Taranaki Daily News on Feb 4th 2015.
Would you pay 10 dollars short of $100,000 for a Hyundai? You know that Korean brand that just a few years ago was best known as cheap-as-chips but not particularly outstanding product?
The fact that in a couple of weeks the brand will launch a new rear-wheel drive luxury sedan with a retail price of $99,990 speaks volumes about the spectacular progress achieved by Hyundai in recent times.
That progress has been such that last year Hyundai achieved more than 4.9 million sales to make it the world's fifth largest manufacturer of motor vehicles.
In New Zealand, Hyundai enjoyed its best year ever in 2014, with 8309 sales. Not only did that put it in third position behind Toyota and Holden on the vehicle sales ladder, but it meant Hyundai has now enjoyed 12 years of continuous year-on-year growth.
More Articles ...
- Are you on the team for this weekend's Hyundai Beach Cricket?
- Hyundai Santa Fe wins award as the best large SUV
- Up close with a massive trophy. Chris Bowater gets his hands on the Cricket World Cup.
- Bowater Hyundai is proud to be a driving force behind the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup games in Nelson.
- Hyundai Genesis receives highest safety score in ANCAP history, and it is on it's way here!
