After a delay due to labor issues, the 2012 Hyundai Veloster is ready to ship to markets in Europe. The U.S. introduction is still scheduled for this fall. According to a report in Automotive News, the Veloster delay was caused by work stoppages in South Korea that started in Jan. The company now only expects to sell around 18,000 Velosters in its home market during 2011.
The Veloster is seen as a premium compact in Europe so its main rivals will be cars like the Mini Cooper and Volkswagen Sirocco.
Of course, here in the U.S., the Veloster will be considered an entry-level sport coupe. It will have to contend with the new Honda Civic Si and maybe even the Scion FR-S if that car ever actually becomes real. Should be an interesting fight.
firstwagon says:
04:54 PM, 04/27/11
Not long ago I would have thought this car would a been a minor cult hit at best.
Now after seeing the new Elantra shoot to the top of our sales charts (Canada) I wouldn't be surprised to see these everywhere (if they ever get here).
stovt001 says:
10:17 PM, 04/27/11
I'd seriously consider one if I needed something more practical than the Miata. Bring on the turbo model!
wizard8873 says:
05:26 AM, 04/28/11
the more i see and read about this, it's actually looking pretty good. might just stop in the dealer to check it out
chrisa222 says:
07:52 AM, 04/28/11
Like Stov said...bring on the turbo! I hope they turbo the Kia Forte Koupe as well...with their new engines, Kia/Hyundai really has the potential to have a killer lineup top-to-bottom. Now if we could convince them to offer MTs with all their cars...I would have a hard time picking which one I want! haha
bankerdanny says:
11:33 AM, 04/28/11
I sat in this car at the Chicago Auto Show. It is far more practical an an every day driver than the FR will be, and would be well ahead of that car on my shopping list.
mkboyardee says:
12:04 PM, 04/28/11
Just my opinion, but who cares?
When the Elantra came out, I thought it was uglier than a dog's @$$, but its looks have grown on me a bit.
This car looks a bit like the Elantra, but only the bad bits.
It's wrong-wheel-drive.
IIRC, it's two-seater hybrid hatchback like the Honda CRZ, right?
Which means it'll be slower than molasses, but practical and efficient, like any Hyundai, Toyota, or Honda.
Do these buyers realize that with the amount of space that the hybrid drivetrain takes up, it will have about the same floor load height as 5-seater hatchback with the seats down? It's already evident on the CRZ.
And like the CRZ, it will have a sporty image, but under the sheetmetal, have sporty nothing.
Look at the poll: The Scion is winning for a reason. GOOD (My opinion) looks and RWD will always be the winner.
mkboyardee says:
12:04 PM, 04/28/11
Just my opinion, but who cares?
When the Elantra came out, I thought it was uglier than a dog's @$$, but its looks have grown on me a bit.
This car looks a bit like the Elantra, but only the bad bits.
It's wrong-wheel-drive.
IIRC, it's two-seater hybrid hatchback like the Honda CRZ, right?
Which means it'll be slower than molasses, but practical and efficient, like any Hyundai, Toyota, or Honda.
Do these buyers realize that with the amount of space that the hybrid drivetrain takes up, it will have about the same floor load height as 5-seater hatchback with the seats down? It's already evident on the CRZ.
And like the CRZ, it will have a sporty image, but under the sheetmetal, have sporty nothing.
Look at the poll: The Scion is winning for a reason. GOOD (My opinion) looks and RWD will always be the winner.
mkboyardee says:
12:05 PM, 04/28/11
Sorry about the double (Now triple) post, folks.
My apologies.
stovt001 says:
12:15 PM, 04/28/11
It isn't a hybrid like the CR-Z. It has a conventional gas engine only, with a turbo model supposedly in the works. This should be the modern-day CRX that the CR-Z isn't.
It also has 4 (maybe even 5, can't remember) seats, with even a 3rd door on one of the rear sides.
mkboyardee says:
01:06 PM, 04/28/11
Got back from my errand, and read the original article.
Yeah, it's not a hybrid, but with 168 HP, it'll still be slower than Grandma.
And it's got a backseat.
The third door is stupid. Yeah, it's not a bad idea to ease access to the back seat, but having the front doors not even remotely the same length just looks dumb.
The Turbo version will basically be a GTI "coupe", with a gimpy door.
Yeah, it will probably sell, but, then again, so does the Civic Si.
dougtheeng says:
02:34 PM, 04/28/11
I love it. Europe gets all the fun toys.
firstwagon says:
05:22 PM, 04/28/11
"The third door is stupid. Yeah, it's not a bad idea to ease access to the back seat, but having the front doors not even remotely the same length just looks dumb"
I don't agree. I think it looks cool and it's great to see car companies trying move away from the generic 2 door coupe/ 4 door sedans that blend so well into the background. Dare to be different.
Nice to see it's Honda Fit light but has more power as well.
j2j says:
07:50 PM, 04/28/11
From what people have said, the front of the Veloster does look a bit better in person; still, I wish Hyundai had been more faithful to the front fascia of the Veloster concept.
@chrisa22
The Koup SX will reportedly get the 1.6T 208HP powerplant as well.
The Veloster isn't an FR-S competitor; that will fall to the Kia RWD coupe that is in development (as the next generation GenCoupe goes upmarket, the Kia coupe will be smaller and only have 4 cyl powerplants).
Kia Europe is also supposedly working on a GTI competitor (likely the 3 door hatch version of the next gen Cee'd) and there are hints that it may come with a detuned version of the 2.0T).
eldaino2 says:
05:49 AM, 05/ 4/11
Stoovt1: the crz may not be the new crx, but this 3 door atrocity sure as hell isn't either.
At least the crz looks good. And there is no way hyundai is going to put out a better manual than on the crz.