Hyundai's Scrappiest Car to Receive… an Automatic

Very few quirky cars remain in today’s homogeneous vehicle landscape, but the Hyundai Veloster can count itself among that offbeat cohort. The Veloster N cranks up the fun quotient considerably, adding 250 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque to the oddball three-door package. More power can be drawn from the turbo 2.0-liter via a performance package.

A recent entry to the Hyundai lineup, the Veloster N has thus far been available only with a six-speed manual. No problem there, this writer says, but Hyundai clearly felt otherwise.

Via an Instagram post, Hyundai indicated Monday that drivers with no use for a third pedal will soon be able to add the Veloster N to their shopping list. The video contained within the post clearly shows a dual-clutch automatic shifter embossed with “N” logo as the driver tosses the hatch around with vigor.

“Shift the moment,” indeed.

The automaker states that this gearbox will be an eight-speed unit.

It’s coming — the fun-to-drive feeling of N, with the N 8-Speed Wet Dual-Clutch Transmission. Who got it right? DCT

A post shared by Hyundai N (@hyundai_n_worldwide) on Apr 13, 2020 at 3:06am PDT

DCTs see considerable use in Hyundai’s turbocharged offerings, offering quicker shifts compared to a manual or conventional automatic. With DCTs, like (but to a lesser degree) CVTs, paddle shifting isn’t a pointless and annoying endeavor, and the Veloster N can be seen in the video sporting a pair of flappy paddles.

The availability of an automatic significantly broadens the appeal of a budget performance model to a consumer base that’s rapidly aging away from manuals. The young crowd is likely to have never driven in a vehicle with a stick shift, let alone owned one. Manual take rate in the industry is plunging towards 1 percent.

Given the timing of the video, it seems safe to assume the DCT-equipped Veloster N will be ready for the 2021 model year. With Veloster volume rising 18.2 percent in the second-generation model’s first full year on the market, the inclusion of an automatic N definitely won’t hurt sales performance.

[Image: Hyundai]