Unveiled: The 'New Generation' Hyundai i20 WRC Rally Car

Kuala Lumpur: Hyundai Motorsport has recently unveiled the New Generation i20 WRC (World Rally Championship) rally car for all the fifteen events of the 2016 season at the team's shop in Alzenau, Germany. The South Korean automaker is all set for its third season in the World Rally Championship organised by the FIA (The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile ). Hyundai Motorsport has already finished in the third place in 2015 Manufacturer's Championship, which was won by the second-generation Volkswagen Polo R World Rally Car. So in 2016 season, the automaker will aim for nothing but to improve its last year's ranking.

The new generation Hyundai i20 World Rally Championship Car is based on the 5-door i20 hatchback of the European market. As stated by the Hyundai Motorsport, the updated WRC Car for the 2016 season is built on the stiffer chassis and features a revised suspension.  Apart from an additional door at the rear-end, the newly designed Hyundai i20 WRC flaunts a more angular front-end with sharper edges around the grille and headlamps.

The updated WRC car is powered by a 1.6L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine capable of producing the maximum power of 300 hp and the maximum torque of 286 Nm. The power is transferred to all the four wheels through a 6-speed sequential gearbox. Earlier, Hyundai has planned to base its New Generation i20 WRC car on the latest 3-door i20 production model for the 2015 but thanks to the delay in the homologation of the vehicle, the automaker decide to choose the 5-door model of the 2016 season.

Speaking at the official launch event, Team Principal Michel Nandan said, “the new-generation i20 WRC rally car is the product of a full year of development and with a more experienced team, we now raise our objectives to be more confident to fight at the front.” The car will be driven by the Dani Sordo and Thierry Neuville at the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo in January 2016. In the next event– the Rally Sweden, the new generation i20WRC rally car will be driven by Hayden Paddon.