We brought you news from last year’s Paris Motor Show of Hyundai’s plan to compete in the WRC with an i20 hatchback, now they’ve unveiled another i20 WRC liveried car at the Geneva International Motor Show. The i20 WRC car is being worked on and incrementally-improved in preparation for the car’s official debut onto the world rally stage next year.
The i20 WRC has since received several upgrades, and while it’s not really finished, it’s beginning to look the part with the latest body upgrades and a revised livery. The upgraded i20 features enhanced chassis stiffness, better cooling and better aerodynamics. The Geneva car also showcases a brand-new livery, which blends a dynamic treatment of Hyundai’s corporate blue.
Aside from the cosmetic and aerodynamic alterations, the car has had its suspension setup retuned, under the supervision of WRC veteran, Michel Nandan. Michel now heads the newly-created Hyundai Motorsport GmbH, which operates out of Alenzau, Germany and has developed the car along with Hyundai’s own research and development team, based in Namyan, Korea.
There are still no technical specifications about the i20 WRC, but pundits reckon it will be powered by a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine, with the requisite amount of WRC power, 223 kW, under the bonnet that powers all four wheels. Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal, Michel Nandan commented: “We are still in the infancy of our exciting WRC programme so the development curve for the car and team is steep. We have lots of important foundations to lay both with the car and the team at Alzenau.”
All in all, Hyundai didn’t make a whole lot of noise in the showpiece European auto show this year, with the only slightly facelifted ix35 being a new car of any real description. We wish them all the success in their WRC ventures and we look forward to seeing another entrant alongside the Volkswagen Polo R WRC Rally Car.
