Hyundai Is Going To Disrupt The Performance World

They've disrupted the auto industry once before, they'll do it again.

3y ago

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The car company that served as the butt end of automotive jokes almost two decades ago is about to change the performance industry. Known previously for their low budget and awful styling, Hyundai was often regarded as the car for those who wanted something simple, barebones, and can easily blend into the highway canvas.

Back in 2009, as everyone slowly recovered from the massive housing bubble hangover, something completely drastic happened: Hyundai produced the sixth generation Sonata. It exhibited a completely new and radical "Fluidic Sculpture" design styling. Everyone took notice, sales went through the roof, and Hyundai was brought into the forefront of people's automotive buying discussions.

The release of the sixth generation Sonata took automakers by surprise and it changed the way we thought about commuter cars. It was the turning point where you can have both a sensible, economical mode of transportation, that didn't have to look boring and blend in with the rest of the crowd. This was a truly disruptive moment in automotive history. Based from what we've seen and learned at the 2018 North American International Auto Show, they're about to disrupt the automotive world again, this time with their performance division.

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The announcement of the Veloster N heralds the beginning of Hyundai's involvement with the performance realm. We have seen Hyundai flirt with the thought of a performance lineup when they revealed the Hyundai Genesis Coupe concept back in 2007, however there hasn't been a fully dedicated line of performance trim from the Korean car company. The Germans (M, S, RS, AMG), Americans (ST, SRT), and Japanese (NISMO) have their special emblems to delineate the more sporty models, now the Koreans have their own.

With the Veloster N, American customers will be getting the engine found in the i30N, the 2.0 liter turbocharged engine that produces 275 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. Attached to the powerplant is a six speed manual transmission with rev-matching capability. The N trim also means a more aggressive looking body kit as represented by the gaping maw of a front fascia, bulging but still discrete spoiler, and a large but subdued dual exhaust tips.

None of that will matter if it cannot compete with the existing front-wheel drive behemoths in the marketplace. The latest entrant, the Civic Type-R, is currently king, with the Volkswagen GTI, and the Ford Fiesta ST also on top of the list for front-wheel drive buyers. Hyundai hopes to best that trio with their limited-slip differential equipped Veloster N and cleverly designed suspension geometry and tuning. Hyundai claims that their electronically-controlled multi-mode suspension: "uses a load transfer control system that reduces dive during braking, enhances roll control during cornering and reduces rear suspension compression under hard acceleration."

If those clever suspension hardware, mated to the torquey and powerful engine can truly best some of the hot-hatch front-wheel drive competition, then we might be seeing the beginning of Hyundai's disruption of the automotive world again.