Hyundai Motorsport have unveiled its new i20 N Rally2 car which is set to go on sale to potential customers next summer.
The new car is designed as a replacement for the successful i20 R5 which debuted back in 2015, and uses the Korean manufacturers new i20 N road car as a chassis base.
After being in development since January, the vehicle also features a brand-new 1.6 litre turbocharged engine which has been created by a large team of engineers, all of whom have built on their knowledge of the previous car that has been used competitively over the last five years.
The team believe the change to the new chassis will help them take a huge step forward when going up against rival manufacturers such as M-Sport Ford, who debuted the second generation of its Fiesta R5 last year.
Hyundai’s new challenger also features completely redesigned suspension – including new dampers – in a bid to make the car more ‘driver friendly’ on the various different types of surfaces that the car can compete on around the world as part of the Rally2 regulations.
Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Andrea Adamo said on the new car: ““The Hyundai i20 R5 was the first car from Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing, and the new i20 N Rally2 shows how far we have come in the five years since the foundation of the department.
“Every area of the new car is an improvement over the original thanks to the design work completed by our dedicated team of designers and engineers.
“Our focus is now on testing the car to further develop each aspect of the design to improve both performance and reliability, while also ensuring that the handling enables each and every one of our customers to achieve the best possible results when they can start competing with the i20 N Rally2 next year.”
The team are set to begin a substantial testing schedule with the new car later this autumn, with the aim of getting the car ready for sale to customer teams and drivers by midway through 2021.
