Hyundai has not settled its post-2026 WRC plans, while development of a new Rally2 car continues ahead of testing and the 2027 rule changes.
Hyundai has yet to decide whether its factory World Rally Championship program will continue beyond 2026, leaving a major question unanswered with two rounds left this season.
Work on a new Rally2 car is moving forward, with testing set to begin soon. The project confirms Hyundai continues to invest in rally machinery as the company weighs what form its involvement will take under the regulations coming in 2027.
The distinction is important. A Rally2 program would serve customer competition, but it does not confirm Hyundai will keep its current works Rally1 operation. The manufacturer has announced neither a withdrawal nor a post-2026 factory commitment.
A decision hangs over Hyundai’s program
Hyundai leaves Rally Chile BIOBÍO second in the manufacturers’ standings with 410 points, while Toyota Gazoo Racing has 614. Toyota clinched the 2026 manufacturers’ championship at the event on Sunday, September 13, with two rallies still on the calendar.
The result put the competitive gap in clear terms.
Toyota’s latest title is its sixth straight and 10th overall, putting the manufacturer level with Lancia’s WRC record. Hyundai, meanwhile, is working through a season led by Adrien Fourmaux, its highest-placed driver in the standings with 167 points.
Fourmaux finished third in Chile behind Toyota drivers Oliver Solberg and Sébastien Ogier. Thierry Neuville holds 129 championship points, while Esapekka Lappi took sixth in Chile, 5 minutes and 7.0 seconds behind Solberg.
Those confirmed results sit behind Hyundai’s coming boardroom decision. There is no published resolution on the team’s Rally1 future after the final round.
Rally2 development continues
Hyundai’s new Rally2 project offers a separate path for the manufacturer to remain active in international rallying. Rally2 cars sit below the leading Rally1 category and are widely used by customer teams in national and international championships.
Testing of Hyundai’s new car is expected to begin soon, though no precise date was confirmed. The company also has not said how the program will connect to its decision on a factory WRC entry from 2027.
For now, Hyundai is developing the car, its top-level commitment is undecided, and the existing works team has two events remaining in its 2026 campaign.
The uncertainty comes as WRC approaches a regulatory transition. Hyundai’s final decision will establish whether Toyota and M-Sport keep it as a full-season works rival in the top category.
Toyota has already completed its main target
Toyota’s position is in sharp contrast to Hyundai’s unresolved plans. Solberg won Rally Chile in 2 hours, 57 minutes and 8.2 seconds, finishing 16.6 seconds ahead of Ogier and sealing the result that clinched the manufacturers’ championship.
Deputy team principal Juha Kankkunen called the record-equalling achievement “quite incredible.”
The result also put Toyota drivers in the top three positions in the drivers’ standings. Elfyn Evans leads on 230 points, Sami Pajari has 213, and Solberg holds third with 209.
Evans lost ground after a puncture on Chile’s penultimate stage dropped him from second to fifth on the road. He recovered four points with second place on the Power Stage, but his championship lead over Pajari is now 17 points. Solberg trails by 21.
Hyundai’s Fourmaux is fifth, four points behind Ogier on 171. Takamoto Katsuta is next with 163.
Two rallies remain in 2026
Rally Chile was Round 12 of the 14-event championship, meaning Hyundai’s immediate work continues while its longer-term talks carry on. Rally Italy is next, running from October 1 through October 4.
Shakedown is set for October 1 at 9:01, before the first competitive running at 16:05. Friday and Saturday will begin at 8:01, while Sunday’s final day starts at 8:31.
Rally Saudi Arabia will close the season from November 11 through November 14. Hyundai has two chances to build on its 410 manufacturers’ points before the current campaign concludes.
The drivers’ championship will continue without a declared Toyota number one. No team orders have been confirmed for Evans, Pajari or Solberg, with all three covered by 21 points after Chile.
No post-2026 announcement yet
Hyundai’s ongoing Rally2 work does not resolve the position of its Rally1 team. The programs involve different sporting and commercial commitments, and the company has not said one will replace or guarantee the other.
Competition is the next confirmed step, rather than an off-season deadline. Hyundai will return with its Rally1 cars at Rally Italy on October 1, while preparations continue for the new Rally2 car’s first test.
