Hyundai aiming to homologate brand-new Rally2 car for 2027
“The target will be always improving our products, show our commitment. That’s where we are now. We do not have, regarding the regulation, to really pay attention to the jokers, as now we can re-homologate a complete new car – even if it will be only in 2027. We will announce a few minor improvements for 2026. The only objection is the budget. So, we are still working on consolidating the budget for 2026. I would say that it is the last barrier to do the [2027] evolution now. I think we can be really optimistic.” Nogier pointed to the wider implications of an all-new Rally2 car for 2027, adding: “It’s clear, and Cyril already mentioned it, that if Hyundai will carry on the WRC adventure in ’27, we’ll have to use the Rally2. So it’s true that it could [be] helpful, it could be almost mandatory to be ready with a top car in 2027. “But the decision is not driven by what will be or what will not be the top tier program – first of all, we want to carry on to improve the performance of the Rally2 for our current customers. It is the first and main target at the moment.” Asked for his thoughts on the cost-capped WRC27 car, Nogier admitted that, to his mind, the price of the cars wasn’t the issue. “Basically, the target of the cost cap – which is €345,000 – I believe it is something which looks really achievable. After this, and this is the big number that we all need to really pay attention to, it is the running cost. It’s maybe OK to build a car for €345,000 euros, but maybe on those €345,000 cars, if a door costs €10,000, this is not acceptable in the customer world. And this is really what we need to pay attention to. What will be the price for the dampers? For the under-protection of the car? We consume all those parts quite a lot on Rally2. And we have to be cost efficient.”
