Hyundai Veloster spied

Text: Richard Yarrow / Photos: Automedia

11th June 2010

There could be an ill wind blowing for Volkswagen’s Scirocco! Hyundai’s new Veloster coupé is due in UK showrooms in 12 months’ time – and our spies have captured it undergoing back-to-back testing with its German rival.

The newcomer is a replacement for the Coupé SIII, and prices are set to start at around £16,000. Its sporting credentials are emphasised with a low-to-the-ground stance, raked windscreen with blacked-out A-pillars and smart central exhaust.

What’s not obvious from the pictures is that the Veloster will get asymmetrical doors. The driver’s side has a single opening, but there will be two separate doors on the opposite side, rather than a Mazda RX-8-style barn-style arrangement. This set-up is being re-engineered for right-hand drive, too.

Power will come from a new 140bhp 1.6-litre direct-injection petrol engine, while a 200bhp turbo version will follow. There’s speculation that the latter will feature Hyundai’s first dual-clutch transmission, too. Diesel power hasn’t been ruled out for the Veloster, but it’s unlikely at launch.

The Veloster will debut at the Detroit Motor Show in January or Hyundai’s home exhibition in Seoul three months later. The premiere had originally been set for Paris this October, but Hyundai will be revealing a Kia Venga-based supermini-MPV instead.