The Hyundai Elantra is officially back in Brazil, but not in the way former owners of the mid-size sedan remember it. Hyundai has confirmed its official entry as a team in TCR South America and TCR Brazil starting in the 2026 season. The star of this return is the Hyundai Elantra N TCR.
The South Korean automaker will be the second manufacturer to officially join the grid, following in the footsteps of Honda . The operation will feature four cars under the management of Hyundai MSA, a structure that inherits the base of the two-time champion PMO Racing. The debut is scheduled for March 2026.
350 hp engine
Unlike the street model that was sold in Brazil between 2011 and 2019, the new Elantra N TCR is a machine dedicated to extreme performance. Under the hood, the sedan boasts a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine tuned to deliver 350 hp, paired with a six-speed X-trac sequential transmission with paddle shifters behind the steering wheel . The setup complies with the global homologation of the WSC Group, ensuring that the cars racing at Interlagos are identical to those competing in the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour in Europe.
Although it’s a race car, TCR regulations require that the chassis and body (4 or 5 doors) be the same as the production car. The basis for the competition car is the street-legal Elantra N , sold in other markets, which has 280 hp and 40 kgfm of torque – capable of taking the sports car from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds.
The track version also features its own cooling system, air intakes that direct airflow to the brake discs, and a mechanical limited-slip differential on the track to optimize cornering.
The Hyundai Elantra is the current four-time champion of the TCR category at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. In Brazil, the Hyundai team will be led by Damián Fineschi and already has its first confirmed driver: the Argentinian Diego Ciantini, coming from Turismo Carretera. The strategy aims to directly challenge the dominance of Honda, which won both the drivers’ and teams’ titles last season.
The four Elantra N TCR cars arrive in the country for pre-season testing before the start of the championship. Although Hyundai has not confirmed plans to sell the street version of the Elantra N in Brazil, its official presence on the track serves as a technological showcase for the durability and performance of the new generation of its turbo engines.
