NAIAS: Hyundai Unveils Veloster

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

Direct injection. Dual-clutch transmission. 40 MPG highway. Three doors. 2,580 lbs. A $17k-ish price point. That might just be one of the most unconventional sets of numbers to come out of this year’s NAIAS, and the Veloster is certainly one of the more unconventional cars to launch here at Cobo. From a more cynical perspective, it is based on the Accent platform, rear headroom seems a bit cramped, the third door seems a bit unnecessary, and its marketing is a bit overly drenched in Gen Y-centric nonsense (also, official EPA numbers aren’t out yet). Still, the Veloster is a huge step from the Tiburons that came before it, and it adds an intriguing new facet to Hyundai’s American assault.






Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

More by Edward Niedermeyer

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 67 comments
  • Carguy Carguy on Jan 11, 2011

    The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about - and the Veloster appears in no danger of not being talked about given the volume of comments. The real news here seems to be that Hyundai is not afraid of styling their new products - and that is a good thing. No matter of how you feel about it, the automotive landscape is already littered with enough over-conservative three box designs that a little pizazz in the sub $20k segment is very welcome indeed.

  • Canuck129 Canuck129 on Jan 11, 2011

    Ughhh that is THE UGLIEST Toyota I've EVER.... oh... pardon? Oh it's a Hyundai?!, oh it looks just GREAT then!!....

  • Jeff Self driving cars are not ready for prime time.
  • Lichtronamo Watch as the non-us based automakers shift more production to Mexico in the future.
  • 28-Cars-Later " Electrek recently dug around in Tesla’s online parts catalog and found that the windshield costs a whopping $1,900 to replace.To be fair, that’s around what a Mercedes S-Class or Rivian windshield costs, but the Tesla’s glass is unique because of its shape. It’s also worth noting that most insurance plans have glass replacement options that can make the repair a low- or zero-cost issue. "Now I understand why my insurance is so high despite no claims for years and about 7,500 annual miles between three cars.
  • AMcA My theory is that that when the Big 3 gave away the store to the UAW in the last contract, there was a side deal in which the UAW promised to go after the non-organized transplant plants. Even the UAW understands that if the wage differential gets too high it's gonna kill the golden goose.
  • MKizzy Why else does range matter? Because in the EV advocate's dream scenario of a post-ICE future, the average multi-car household will find itself with more EVs in their garages and driveways than places to plug them in or the capacity to charge then all at once without significant electrical upgrades. Unless each vehicle has enough range to allow for multiple days without plugging in, fighting over charging access in multi-EV households will be right up there with finances for causes of domestic strife.
Next