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Hyundai has become the first manufacturer to officially launch its 2017 World Rally Car. Unveiled at Monza in Italy as part of the Monza Rally Show, the new i20 Coupe WRC has been designed in accordance with the new 2017 WRC regulations.
Power is up from 300hp to 380hp with a reduction in the current overall weight of 1200kg, while active transmission technology and advanced aerodynamics also feature.
The rule changes are intended to increase the spectacle of the sport, and with factory cars being fielded by Citroen, Ford (through M-Sport) and Toyota, the Hyundai Motorsport crews will have to be on maximum attack from the start line of the season opener in Monte Carlo to stay ahead of the pack.
The driver line-up is unchanged from last year, with Thierry Neuville, Dani Sordo and rising Kiwi star Hayden Paddon forming a three-pronged assault on the 13-round championship. Paddon and Neuville both tasted victory this year, contributing to Hyundai Motorsport's second place finish in the Manufacturer's Championship.
Hyundai re-entered the sport in 2014, and the various iterations of i20 have showed good pace since. Team Principal Michel Nandan (himself an architect of Peugeot's rallying success in the 2000s) said: "We are heading into a new era for the sport with the biggest change to the regulations for some time. It's a great new technical challenge and one that we have tackled with enthusiasm. It's an opportunity to put into practice everything we have learned and experienced in the past three seasons. All teams are starting from scratch so we are on equal footing. Having finished in a fighting second in 2016, we want to demonstrate our ability to fight for the Championship next season - and we are confident the i20 Coupe WRC will help us do just that."