Hyundai i20 N Rally2 debuts, successor to the i20 R5

Hyundai has swiftly released the all-new i20 N Rally2 car, less than 24 hours after it pulled the covers off the 204-PS i20 N hot hatch. Evidently based on the bones of the new i20 N, this rally car will replace the outgoing i20 R5, with improvements made in nearly every aspect of the vehicle.

Created and designed for privateer teams and rally race car drivers, the i20 N Rally2 car is powered by the same 1.6 litre T-GDi engine as the road car, albeit tuned for racing purposes. Hyundai has yet to release output figures, but the six-speed manual has been swapped out in favour of the existing five-speed sequential gearbox. It also gets new suspension components and uprated dampers.

The new car will replace the i20 R5, a car that has been in service since 2016. Extensive testing of the i20 N Rally2 will begin later this month, with first deliveries and final homologation scheduled for mid-2021.

Hyundai Motorsport team principal Andrea Adamo said: “The Hyundai i20 R5 was the first car from Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing, and the new i20 N Rally2 shows how far we have come in the five years since the foundation of the department. Every area of the new car is an improvement over the original thanks to the design work completed by our dedicated team of designers and engineers.

“Our focus is now on testing the car to further develop each aspect of the design to improve both performance and reliability, while also ensuring that the handling enables each and every one of our customers to achieve the best possible results when they can start competing with the i20 N Rally2 next year,” he added.