Hyundai excited by new car's potential

A revised engine and more complex transmission lie at the heart of the new machine, which is scheduled to start testing within a few weeks.

Whitehead said: "We're doing all the paperwork at the moment and it's fair to say that we're keen to use the car as soon as possible. It's a substantial step forward, taking all we learnt last year and putting it into practice."

Hyundai is a backer of the Rally of Portugal and there has been inevitable speculation that the team is lining up a debut for the event, the third round of the series. But Whitehead said: "I can't specify the first event just yet. We want the car as soon as possible. Draw your own conclusions from that."

Whitehead also revealed that one of Piero Liatti's two gravel outings for the team will be Cyprus, and hinted that the other could be either New Zealand or Australia. "We're discussing that with Piero at the moment," he said. "It's fair to say Piero wants to do a rally in the southern hemisphere."