Hyundai didn’t make a lot of noise at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. They only brought along a face-lifted ix35 and a fuel cell version of the same car, and this, the new version of the i20 WRC. This latest spec will be the car Hyundai will begin testing soon in preparation for their 2014 World Rally debut.

The upgraded i20 features enhanced suspension kinematics and chassis stiffness, optimized cooling, and better aerodynamics. The Geneva car also showcases a brand-new livery, which blends a dynamic treatment of Hyundai’s corporate blue together with an innovative use of characters from the native Korean script, Hunminjeongeum.

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. This latest version of the i20 WRC has centred on aerodynamics with the objective of improving the car’s cooling systems. A new rear wing and front spoiler give the i20 WRC a new external appearance while, under the bodywork, improvements have also been made to the suspension kinematics and chassis stiffness as we gear up for a more structured test programme later in the year. We have lots of important foundations to lay both with the car and the team at Alzenau.