The Hyundai Veloster is a sporty hatch, but it's far from the most aggressive car on the road. Or is it? With a few engine upgrades and new components, Hyundai shows just how mean and race-ready the Veloster can be.
We've already seen what Chrysler and Chevy have in mind for the SEMA Show, and the Velocity gives us a peek into Hyundai's mindset. That mindset is based around some serious pent-up aggression.
"In creating Velocity, we were inspired to take the Veloster’s original concept strengths to their fullest expression," said Chris Chapman, head of Hyundai’s Irvine, California design center. "Velocity gave our design and engineering teams license to take Veloster far beyond everyday production car limitations."
A joint project of the design and engineering arms of the Hyundai America Technical Center in Irvine, California, the Velocity gets pushed far beyond production specs with a no-nonsense, asphalt-skimming body kit. The kit includes front and rear brake cooling ducts, a front splitter, a rear diffuser, an oversized rear wing, aero side skirt lips and race car graphics. A set of 19-inch HRE lightweight racing wheels keeps the car from marking up the pavement below. The body kit is designed to boost the car's aerodynamic performance while maintaining the Veloster's overall look.
The Velocity packs plenty of bite with its bark. Cosworth adds a new turbocharger, performance pistons, rods, intercooler and intake manifold. The Velocity also gets a custom exhaust system. The Veloster's 40-mpg (5.8 L/100 km) claim is certainly out the window on the Velocity, but the upgraded 1.6-liter GDI four-cylinder's output is upped to over 400 hp.
Brembo brakes, Bilstein springs with monotube dampers and Kumho high-performance summer tires ensure that the extra power is properly honed. A Katzkin custom suede interior with roll bar and Race-Keeper video GPS data acquisition system keeps the driver engaged with the road or track ahead.
The Velocity will be on display at the SEMA Show, which takes place in Las Vegas from October 30 to November 2.
Source: Hyundai