Hyundai has yet to make a decision on its entry into the 2027 World Rally Championship, with the team confirming its priority is improving its Rally1 car for 2026.
There are less than 12 months to go before the WRC introduces new technical regulations aimed at making cars with a cost cap of €345,000 more affordable and flexible to attract manufacturers and tuners to the series.
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Toyota is currently the only major automaker committed to building new cars for the 2027 rules, with pictures and videos of its prototypes testing appearing on social media last week. Toyota will join the ranks of tuning company Project Rally One, and the production of new cars for this project is also well underway.
Will Hyundai continue to comply with the new 2027 rules?
Apart from Toyota, other Rally1 teams Hyundai and M-Sport-Ford have yet to announce plans for 2027. Hyundai has been particularly vocal about the WRC’s new rules, with a lack of powertrain flexibility and technology being one of its main concerns over the rules set that will last 10 years.
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Last year, the carmaker ruled out developing a new car for 2027 but did confirm there were plans to develop a Rally2 car, which the team could take to the field next year following the FIA’s decision to allow Rally2 machinery to compete in top-level racing alongside WRC27 cars. It is understood M-Sport is leaning towards its Rally2-spec Ford Fiesta as an option for 2027.
When asked if Hyundai was getting closer to a decision on its future in the WRC, sporting director Andrew Wheatley told Motorsport.com: “No, we’re not closer to a decision” [to a decision]. We are working hard to understand the situation in 2027 and are in regular communication with organizers and the FIA to understand how 2027 will work.
Hyundai Motorsport, Toyota Gazoo Racing, Ford M-Sport WRC racing car
Hyundai Motorsport, Toyota Gazoo Racing, Ford M-Sport WRC racing car
“Obviously the design team are putting 120 per cent effort into the Rally1 car, it’s our priority and we’re working hard to make sure we get the most out of the car we have. When the time comes, we’ll get information from our partners to understand the next steps.”
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Asked about the timetable for a decision, Whitley added: “That’s to be decided. One thing I’ve said with this team from the beginning is they can perform miracles, but they shouldn’t do it every day.”
“I believe they will be able to understand what the timeline is and when they have to make a decision on what they want to do [in 2027]”.
Hyundai Motors 2026 season to date
Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Hyundai is now focused on finding performance boosts from its heavily upgraded i20 N Rally1 race car to close the gap on rival Toyota, which failed miserably at the first two rounds of the season in Monte Carlo and Sweden.
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As Rally1 testing is limited to a certain number of pre-race tests, Hyundai has extended testing to Rally1 and Rally2 cars, the latter used by Rally1 drivers to collect key data to help maximize the performance of Hankook tires.
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“There is no doubt that the Rally2 car is now a key part of the testing program,” said Whitley.
“We mainly use it to do tire work because we really have limited days, so we use it to do basic work on the tires, which I think is important. The Rally2 car is good enough for that and is particularly fast on the tarmac.
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“The side effect of this is that we have some of the best drivers in the world driving the Rally2 cars every month, if not every few weeks. The customer racing team within Hyundai are getting some really good feedback on how to improve the cars. From a Rally2 side, it’s been very useful.”
Also read:
New Toyota WRC car makes debut in testing
WRC Sweden: What happened to Hyundai?
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