The Qatar driver suffered injuries after he rolled his car during filming for a promotional video.
Al Attiyah was behind the wheel of a road car while making the video for a sponsor when he crashed.
"He suffered head injuries which, although not serious, will not heal in time for the rally," said team manager Ken Skidmore, of British-based preparation company Autotek.
Fellow Qatari, Misfer Almari, will replace Al Attiyah in the Subaru Impreza which is already on its way to New Zealand. This is the latest incident in a season of ill fortune for Al Attiyah, who has failed to finish two of his four starts this year, and his withdrawal from Rally New Zealand means he has no chance of retaining his world crown.
The current leader in the PWRC is Japan’s Toshi Arai (Japan), who followed his victory in the 2005 world championship with appalling luck last year – and now it seems that Al Attiyah is following in similar lines.
"Several. Too Many. Lost count,” said Skidmore to questions of how many crashes that Al Attiyah has suffered this season."
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