Hyundai i20 WRC rally car is probably the most important thing in the Korean car maker’s portfolio right now, as it is the only product with a motorsport career. A new version of this car is now under development based on the recently face-lifted model, and it will be ready in time to debut at the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship at Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Not only does having a car in the World Rally Championship score Hyundai a great deal of prestige, it also provides a great testbed for research and development. The turbocharging technology that they use in production cars, for example, owes a lot to the experiences the engineers acquired while working on the WRC engines.

The 2016 Hyundai i20 WRC has just completed a four-day test in the Spanish region of Almeria with Kevin Abbring and his co-driver Sebastian Marshall at the wheel. The boys thoroughly tested the upgrades made to the new model with focus on engine and chassis, and also did a bit of altitude testing. This will be the car with which Hyundai will commit a full season in 2016. The rest of the 2015 season will be fought in the current Hyundai i20 WRC.

Team Principal Michel Nandan commented: “We had a very detailed week of testing planned in Spain recently, as we put an upgraded version of our New Generation i20 WRC through its paces in the Almeria region. Kevin and Thierry worked on engine and chassis development, as well as altitude tests, which will help us to further develop the car as we move through 2015. We had hoped to introduce the new car later this season but unfortunately an issue with the homologation schedule – related to production of the three-door road version – will delay our programme. We have therefore opted to continue focus on the five-door version of the New Generation i20 WRC which will compete at Rallye Monte-Carlo next year. This revised schedule gives us extra time to ensure the car is where we want it to be performance-wise. At the same time, the current Hyundai i20 WRC will undergo a number of important updates which we hope will keep us in the fight for podiums this season.”