The engine has been specifically developed for this car (older regulations required that the engine be based on an existing mass-produced engine's cylinder block and head gasket). It officially develops 220 kW (300 hp) at 6,000 rpm and 350 N⋅m (36 kgf⋅m) at 3,250 rpm.[2]
In October 2012, Citroën announced the DS3 RRC intended for use in the championships below that of the WRC: WRC-2 (formerly S-WRC), European Rally Championship (ERC), Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), some national championships and so on. Visually and internally, the two models (DS3 WRC and RRC) are different since the regulations are more restrictive on the RRC. For example, the WRC 1.6-litre turbocharged direct-injection engine has been slightly modified dropping the power from 220 kW (300 hp) to 205 kW (275 hp), visually the bumper intakes are smaller and the rear spoiler complies with the S2000 standards. The other significant change concerns the brakes in tarmac configuration: the diameter of the discs has been reduced from 355 to 350 mm and the water-cooling system has been removed.[5]
At the 2016 Rally Finland, Kris Meeke established a new record for the fastest FIA WRC round in history, with a 126.60 km/h average speed.[6]