Hyundai’s quirky Veloster hatchback, launched in 2011, succeeded the Tiburon as the brand’s youth-focused car, initially undercutting the Genesis Coupe. Like the Tiburon, which earned itself a place on our list of sporty-looking, yet sluggish cars, it’s neither ugly nor fast, with Motor Trend recording a 7.3 second crawl from a standstill to 60. Hyundai is set to revive the aging hatchback in the first quarter of 2018, according to a report by Yonhap News Agency, with intent for domestic release after debuting the car at the Detroit Motor Show in January. Worldwide sales will follow, but no ETA for its U.S. market arrival is given.
Initial powertrain options are to consist of 1.4- and 1.6-liter four-pot gasoline options, the latter receiving a turbocharger, and an optional six-speed manual transmission. Both will come standard with seven-speed dual clutch transmissions.
New safety features, such as adaptive cruise control, lane assist, and collision warnings will be available.
Back in June, mules for the new Veloster, presumably an “N” variant in keeping with the i30 N hot hatch‘s name scheme, were spotted by Car and Driver, featuring the signature dual exhausts of the current Veloster, and a tall wing that’s sure to make it attractive to Those Modern Urban Youth. Some speculate that the Veloster N will use the same 2.0-liter turbo found in the i30 N, where it makes 271 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. The i30 N also uses an electronic limited-slip differential, sealed inside its own six-speed manual transaxle, so there is a strong possibility that the Veloster N will receive this differential too.
While the i30 N won’t come to U.S. shores, the youth-oriented, sporty Veloster variant may be washed “N” with the tide. With the departure of the magnificent Ford Fiesta ST, we’ll need someone to fill the hole in our hearts, and that someone may just be Hyundai.