Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
Remember the Veloster chassis mule from July? Similar to a larva morphing into a butterfly, that prototype transmuted into a lookalike of the Hyundai RM16 N Concept presented in June. And look, it’s being tested at the Nurburgring!
What in the name of all things holy is happening here? For all intents and purposes, the RM16 N-inspired prototype pictured here doesn’t have a chance to make it into the World Rally Championship, chiefly because only subcompact cars are allowed to participate. Also, three things: the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber, red-painted Brembo brake calipers, and production car-like wheels. On that note, why would a rally car be tested on the Nurburgring Nordschleife’s 12.93 miles (20.81 km) of grippy asphalt?
Anyway you look at it, Hyundai appears to be working on a production car for the road. As you can see from the spy photos, the front fascia design and huge side air intakes behind the doors are tell-tale signs that this is a mid-engined brawler. Then there’s the rear end’s ludicrously large bumper, complemented by venturi tunnels and two exhaust exits. The generous haunches also indicate that this is a midship.
Is Hyundai pulling a Renault Clio V6 RS on us? If it will, chances are the car will be based on the next-generation Veloster, which is believed to debut sometime in 2018 for the 2019 model year. Another thing to take into consideration is the long-due promise of sportiness from Hyundai’s N division. Whereas today’s standard is all-wheel-drive hot hatchbacks such as the Ford Focus RS, a mid-engined Hyundai Veloster would be a lot more exciting than a generic hot hatch. Speaking of which, the all-new Hyundai i30 will also get an N performance variant in 2017.
The real question is, will the Veloster-based hooligan get rear- or all-wheel-drive? It’s hard to tell from the current set of spy photos, but chances are it will be really fun to drive. If the concept car is anything to take a cue from, then expect rear-wheel-drive and a 2.0-liter T-GDI with 300 PS (296 hp) and 383 Nm (283 lb-ft) of torque.
Anyway you look at it, Hyundai appears to be working on a production car for the road. As you can see from the spy photos, the front fascia design and huge side air intakes behind the doors are tell-tale signs that this is a mid-engined brawler. Then there’s the rear end’s ludicrously large bumper, complemented by venturi tunnels and two exhaust exits. The generous haunches also indicate that this is a midship.
Is Hyundai pulling a Renault Clio V6 RS on us? If it will, chances are the car will be based on the next-generation Veloster, which is believed to debut sometime in 2018 for the 2019 model year. Another thing to take into consideration is the long-due promise of sportiness from Hyundai’s N division. Whereas today’s standard is all-wheel-drive hot hatchbacks such as the Ford Focus RS, a mid-engined Hyundai Veloster would be a lot more exciting than a generic hot hatch. Speaking of which, the all-new Hyundai i30 will also get an N performance variant in 2017.
The real question is, will the Veloster-based hooligan get rear- or all-wheel-drive? It’s hard to tell from the current set of spy photos, but chances are it will be really fun to drive. If the concept car is anything to take a cue from, then expect rear-wheel-drive and a 2.0-liter T-GDI with 300 PS (296 hp) and 383 Nm (283 lb-ft) of torque.
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