Hybrid World Rally Cars Are On The Way

The FIA World Rally Championship will introduce hybrid cars from the 2022 season onwards

Updated: 12 Sep 2024

Having been a big part of the World Endurance Championship and F1 for a few years now, hybrid systems are coming to the top flight of rallying.

Yep, the World Rally Championship will soon be populated by electrified cars, the FIA World Motor Sport Council has confirmed. A hybrid system “comprised of common components and software” will be introduced from the 2022 season, with greater technical freedom allowing teams to tinker given from 2025.

The idea is that the new WRC cars will be able to quietly trundle through cities on electric power alone, with the hybrid system providing an extra boost on the special stages. Interestingly, the 2022-onwards machines won’t have to be built on a production-spec platform, with manufacturers given the option of making a DTM/Nascar-like silhouette racer around a tubular space frame.

With F1 having first dabbled with KERS way back in 2009, the WRC is arguably a little late to the hybrid party. The FIA World Rallycross, meanwhile, is going a step further by going fully electric in 2021, a year before the WRC hybrid cars arrive.

Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.

Comments

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I hope electric safety comes along way in the next few years. Electric fires are not good. However, I can’t imagine how fast WRC will be with electric torque

That’s it boys, hybrid cars are the future, wether you like it or not. I really like this move, the contra point of “glorious ICE noise” I don’t really understand. WRC and WRX cars sound like vaccum cleaners anyway, not really pleasant if you ask me.

I’m surprised it hasn’t been introduced sooner to be honest. More torque and sooner! Can only be a good thing surely?

“the 2022-onwards machines won’t have to be built on a production-spec platform, with manufacturers given the option of making a DTM/Nascar-like silhouette racer around a tubular space frame.”

So from 2022 we will have hybrid things that have pretty much nothing in common with the production cars? RIP WRC.