Hyundai teases next i20 WRC

October 9, 2014
Hyundai has announced that it has started testing its next World Rally Championship (WRC) racer at a private track in Germany.

The car borrows numerous styling cues from the second-generation i20 hatchback that was presented last week at the Geneva Motor Show. The similarities are only skin-deep as the racer rides on a purpose-built chassis and it features lightweight composite body panels.

Although Hyundai is keeping precise technical details under wraps, it promises the i20 WRC is fitted with a brand new engine and a completely redesigned suspension setup. The car is marginally longer, lower and wider than its predecessor.

Hyundai has not revealed when the WRC-bound i20 is scheduled to make its debut on the track.

“We will introduce [the new car] in competition when we are absolutely sure that it is ready to replace the current i20 WRC – we’re not in a rush. It’s a totally different car compared to current WRC model,” explained the automaker in a statement.

A spokesperson for the company has hinted that the shakedown testing period is expected to continue through 2015 so the i20 will most likely not be at the starting grid of next January’s Monte Carlo rally, the first event of the 2015 WRC season. When it races for the first time, the next-gen Hyundai i20 WRC will have to fend off competition from Volkswagen, Citroën and Ford.

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