World Rally Championship

A change in regulations for 2025 signaled the end of the hybrid era and an evolution of Hyundai Motorsport's Rally1 challenger.

The Hyundai i20 N Rally1 generates 360 hp at 6,250 rpm from its turbocharged in-line four-cylinder engine and continues to run on FIA 100% sustainable fuel by P1 Racing.  

The goal is to power our way to many more podiums and victories in 2025.

The final year of competition of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid saw the most polished version of Hyundai hybrid machinery yet, as the continuation of the technical regulations meant the the team could focus on adjustments to the bodywork and aerodynamics to improve the car’s performance.

The season proved to be a landmark for the team, with Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe becoming drivers' and co-drivers' championship after a dramatic season finale at Rally Japan - the first individual titles for a Hyundai Motorsport crew. Five wins, fifteen podiums and 558 points, as well as the titles made 2024 the most successful season to date.

Hyundai Motorsport crews finished on the podium at every rally of the 2023 WRC season, but one as the i20 N Rally1 Hybrid again proved itself highly competitive in the championship.

The team, meanwhile, pushed hard to maintain the momentum from the start of the hybrid era in our tenth season competing at the pinnacle of rallying, finishing second in the manufacturers' championship for the second year in a row.

The change in regulations introduced hybrid technology into the WRC. Cars now carried a 3.9 kWh battery operating up to 750 V, working alongside a new 1.6-litre engine that could produce over 500 horsepower in a car that now weighed 1,350 kg—the increased weight accounting for the new electrical elements.

Hyundai Motorsport met the new challenge head-on. After an incredibly strong second half of the season, which included a first podium sweep at the Acropolis Rally, the team finished the season with five wins, 15 podiums, and 455 points to again finish second in the manufacturers' and drivers' standings

A total of 17 podiums, including three wins, helped the team achieve a then best-ever manufacturer points haul - 462 - to send off the i20 Coupe WRC in style.

Following the curtailed 2020 campaign, the calendar was once again full in 2021, with twelve varied and challenging events on the schedule. Over the course of the year, the entire team was pushed to the limit like never before, with each event presenting new obstacles to tackle and overcome.

But even greater obstacles were to come, in form of the introduction of the Rally1 regulations - and hybrid power for the first time in the WRC - for 2022.

The WRC regulations were again unchanged for 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a fractured competitive season. Despite these limitations, our engineers and designers continued to develop and upgrade the car throughout the year.

Their hard work certainly paid off, giving our talented crews the best chance to fight for victory The i20 Coupe WRC claimed victory on a famously tricky Rallye Monte-Carlo as well as scoring 1-2 finishes in Estonia and Italy. At the end of a shortened season of seven closely contested rounds, the team was crowned WRC Manufacturers' champion for a second time.

Four victories and 13 podiums gave us our most successful WRC season far and - most importantly - delivered our first WRC Manufacturers' title.

The success was a product of a continuing, exhaustive development programme. The team achieved their goal, winning not just on gravel in Argentina and Italy, but on tarmac in Corsica and the unique mixed-surface Rallye de España. The i20 Coupe WRC was now a car that allowed all our crews to compete for trophies at any event.

The team were involved another closely fought title battle for the drivers' and manufacturers' titles. Both were only decided at the final round of the season with Hyundai Motorsport and our crews, finishing second in both championships once more.

There were victories on the ice and snow of Rally Sweden and the unforgiving gravel of Rally Portugal and Rally Italia Sardegna, but the team's development focus was on improving the performance of the i20 Coupe WRC on tarmac, where it had struggled against rivals. It was the final piece needed to move to the next level.

New technical regulations for the 2017 WRC season meant a third new car in four seasons—the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC.

The car sported an aggressive new look thanks to rules focused on improving aerodynamic and mechanical grip, including the re-introduction of an active centre differential. The overall weight of the car was also reduced, and power increased to 380 hp, enhancing the overall spectacle of WRC competition. 

The result was our most successful season so far. Four wins more than doubled our total tally and helped the team finish as WRC vice-champions for the second consecutive season.

The New Generation i20 WRC was rolled out for the first time in autumn 2014 at the start of a comprehensive test programme.

It was the first car built using the full capabilities of our team and workshop, and represented a significant step forward in all areas—bodywork, engine, transmission, and suspension. Taking podiums at Rallye Monte-Carlo and Rally Sweden, the NG i20 WRC was immediately on the pace. 

It returned Hyundai Motorsport to winning ways, with victories on the gravel events of Argentina and Sardinia. Ending the season with those two wins and a total of 12 podiums, the team was now a genuine contender against far more experienced competitors.

Benefiting from a valuable year of learning, the i20 WRC was further developed for the start of 2015 and continued to be improved throughout our second year of competition.

An engine joker, designed to deliver more power, was introduced at Rally Mexico—an upgrade born from engineers' work on our in-house engine test bench. A paddle shift, introduced for the event in Argentina, allowed our drivers to extract more consistent performance from the car.

However, this was just one part of another ambitious phase for the team. While developing the i20 WRC through the year, the main focus was on the development of the New Generation i20 WRC, which would debut the following season.

To progress from a blank sheet of paper to starting a competitive rally in a little over twelve months was a huge achievement for the whole team, when two Hyundai i20 WRC drove over the start ramp at Rallye Monte-Carlo 2014.

The first successes were just around the corner. Thierry Neuville claimed a memorable first podium for the team at round three of the season in Mexico, before he and Dani Sordo delivered a 1–2 finish at Hyundai Motorsport's home event in Germany

After being established on 19 December 2012, Hyundai Motorsport embarked on the development of the i20 WRC, which would take the team into the FIA World Rally Championship.

The new car was based on the road model designed by Hyundai’s R&D Centre in Namyang. It was shaped into a rally car by a team of dedicated professionals, completing 8,000 km of testing in a range of conditions to fully assess the engine, transmission, and suspension in preparation for a competitive debut the following year.