when you think hyundailikely sports car It’s not the first thing that comes to mind. Japanese brands have led the industry in economical family cars and city cars. Cars like the i10 and now the Ioniq series are growing in popularity.
But in 2011, Hyundai unveiled a car that was ahead of its time. The Veloster is a compact 2-door, 4-seater hatchback his coupe sports car has never looked like it’s ever been and never will be. The final production car looked a lot like the concept car it was based on. This is always a good thing.
Production of the Veloster ended just last year, and its 10-year, two-generation sales span translates to a total of 204,000 units sold in the US alone. There was no doubt that the development of the Veloster had a cult following, but its success was somewhat short-lived. 2022 Hyundai Veloster Last run. We think the Veloster was a car that got more than it deserved. Here’s why.
The Hyundai Veloster was different
At the 2007 Seoul Auto Show, Hyundai took off the cover of the HND-3. The car was truly a futuristic concept with its swollen spherical lines and impressive aero features. A few years later, in 2011, the Veloster went on sale. And while it was indeed a different vehicle, the design language was translated and the futuristic look remained.
Successor to the Hyundai Tiburon (shark in Spanish), the Veloster was marketed as a sporty hatchback coupe, similar to the Alfa Romeo Brera and Volkswagen Scirocco. A total of 9,284 units were sold in the U.S. in the Veloster’s first year of sales, despite the 2+2 seating arrangement not meant for large families.
As for the engine, it came in three versions with a 4-cylinder 1.6-liter motor that put out around 138HP. Two of these were fuel-injected, one was turbocharged, and all had six-speed manual and dual-clutch automatic options, with a seven-speed DCT option also available. , Rio and Seoul, as well as Hyundai’s prestigious PB. For the most part, the Veloster sells well and will develop a cult following in the years to come.
Hyundai-N Division gave the Veloster the best makeover
A typical Veloster is in the form of Veloster-N. By 2019, the Veloster was already being hailed as a nimble hatchback that handled very well for its size and price. was missing. Enter Hyundai’s N division.
The 2nd generation Veloster launched in 2018 and looked great. In 2016, Hyundai’s high-performance brand, Hyundai’s N division, launched the i30N, a car that has dominated the WRC and translated very well into a hot-his hatch for public roads. They decided this new generation Veloster deserved the same treatment.
Veloster N became the first N product sold in North America. They were niche products, but they were still popular. The performance was one rank higher than ordinary cars. Available in both a 6-speed manual and an 8-speed dual-clutch with paddles, it is said to have sprinted from 0-62 in just 5.6 seconds. His turbocharged four-cylinder now puts out 275 horsepower, enough to compete with his GTIs and S3s around the world.
Why was the Hyundai Veloster unfortunately discontinued?
The Veloster N was praised by motor journalists and consumers alike. Unfortunately for them, though, sales numbers didn’t reflect this, and it didn’t make financial sense for Hyundai to continue producing them. Nonetheless, demand for the Veloster declined rapidly, and in 2022 Hyundai said goodbye to the Veloster badge.
I think the Veloster is more suitable. It emerged at a time when demand for SUVs and crossovers was booming, and ultimately became the catalyst for its shortcomings. Since the i30N and i20N are not available in the US, Veloster was able to get a glimpse of the special work being done between Hyundai’s Seoul and Nürburgring development centers.
Hyundai then turned its attention to cars such as the Kona N and Elantra N. These products are very strong, but both were brought to the US market to capitalize on his SUV craze. The Veloster in its standard form was every hatchback anyone could ask for, with lane assist, CarPlay and cruise control all standard, but this beat the competition in this segment and the Hyundai was not enough to prevent the Elimination of it from the line-up.
Veloster was different. For the most part it’s always a risk to be so avant-garde and not everyone is open to such striking designs, quirky and affordable he loves the Veloster. Definitely worth remembering. As time goes on, I think more people will look back on it as a pleasant memory.
Source: Hyundai, CarFigures