Hyundai, Toyota to team up and host motorsport event in Korea

Hyundai Motor will host a motorsport racing event in Korea later this month with Toyota Motor, signaling the start of a partnership between the two of the world's three biggest automakers.

Hyundai N and Toyota GR vehicles to participate in the Hyundai N x Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival, which will be held on Oct. 27 at Everland Speedway in Yongin, Gyeonggi [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Hyundai Motor will host a motorsport racing event in Korea later this month with Toyota Motor, signaling the start of a partnership between the two of the world's three biggest automakers.

Toyota's chairman Akio Toyoda will visit Korea to meet with Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung at the event, Hyundai N x Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival, which will be held on Oct. 27 at Everland Speedway in Yongin, Gyeonggi.

Hyundai N and Toyota GR vehicles to participate in the Hyundai N x Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival, which will be held on Oct. 27 at Everland Speedway in Yongin, Gyeonggi [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

The companies will host a track day event where visitors can immerse themselves in a high-performance culture and witness Hyundai N and Toyota GR vehicles in action. The N brand is Hyundai's high-performance line, while GR stands for Gazoo Racing, Toyota's motorsport division.

The event's highlight will be a thrilling demo drive reminiscent of a rally featuring racing cars and professional drivers from each company's World Rally Team.

Visitors can also experience the performance of these competition vehicles firsthand through a unique test ride, Hyundai said.

Hyundai N will showcase rally cars from its successful World Rally Championship (WRC) program, including the i20 N Rally 1 Hybrid and i20 N Rally 2, driven by Hyundai Motorsport WRC drivers Thierry Neuville, Dani Sordo and Andreas Mikkelsen.

Toyota will present its GR Yaris Rally 1 Hybrid, GR Yaris Rally 2, GR Supra and GR86, as well as other rally cars and high-performance models.

Hyundai N and Toyota GR vehicles to participate in the Hyundai N x Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival, which will be held on Oct. 27 at Everland Speedway in Yongin, Gyeonggi [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

"This event will emphasize the fierce competition and friendship that coexist in motorsport and is an opportunity to demonstrate the pure passion for cars shared by both Hyundai and Toyota, as well as our commitment to expand motorsport culture in the future further," Lee Yeong-ho, executive vice president of Hyundai's global operations division, said.

Toyota North America CEO Tetsuo Ogawa met with Chung during his visit to Korea in September to discuss cooperation in hydrogen and automatic driving.

Toyota is the world's largest automaker in production volume, while Hyundai remains at No. 3.

Hyundai N and Toyota GR vehicles to participate in the Hyundai N x Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival, which will be held on Oct. 27 at Everland Speedway in Yongin, Gyeonggi [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

BY SARAH CHEA, YONHAP [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]