While getting ready to take on the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship with its i20 WRC, Hyundai is showing off an upgraded version of its race car at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.The i20 WRC was originally presented at last year’s Paris Motor Show and has been thoroughly updated since.

Newest features added to the latest i20 WRC include improvements to its aerodynamics, chassis, and suspension to improve cooling, enhance suspension kinematics, and chassis stiffness. Private testing of the i20 WRC will kick off at various locations in Europe later this year.

These extensive changes come through a collaboration between the newly-formed Hyundai Motorsport GmbH in Germany, which is headed by veteran WRC competitor Michael Nanadan, and Hyundai‘s R&D facility in Korea. The team is excited to tackle all the challenges that comes along with building a true competitor in such a rigorous series even  if Hyundai’s WRC program is still in its infancy stage.

“Building up a new motorsport facility from scratch is an ambitious and rewarding challenge,” said Michael Nanadan. “We have begun the recruitment process but already have a number of key people in place who bring with them a wealth of rally and motorsport experience. We are rapidly building up the team infrastructure and are pleased that everything is running to schedule.”