After much speculation, Hyundai CEO John Krafcik has confirmed that there is, in fact, a turbocharged version of the Veloster hatchback in the works. The turbocharged hatchback will make its debut this upcoming January at the 2012 Detroit auto show.
Krafcik confirmed the hot hatch last night while at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas, Nevada, and – as he often does – sent a tweet to Hyundai’s Twitter feed announcing the car’s debut in Detroit. That’s ironic, considering the company used the same account last week to downplay the possibility of a turbo Veloster.
We already knew that this car was coming, and even have a good idea of what will power the veloce Veloster. Just two weeks ago, the automaker took the wraps off of a turbocharged version of the 1.6-liter Gamma inline-four cylinder that is in the current Veloster. That new turbo mill should be good for around 204 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, which is a significant improvement over the 138 hp and 123 lb-ft produced by the of the naturally aspirated engine.
Just as with the rest of its competitors, we expect that the Veloster Turbo will send all of its power through the front wheels. Expect transmission options to mirror those of the base Veloster, with either a six-speed manual or Hyundai’s all-new six-speed dual-clutch. No word yet on whether or not the more powerful engine will affect the Veloster’s 40 mpg highway rating, but don’t be surprised if those figures decrease slightly.
With 204 hp, the Veloster Turbo will sit mid-pack along with other hot hatches. It will best the Mini Cooper S (181 hp), the Volkswagen GTI (200 hp), and the Honda Civic Si (201 hp), although it won’tbe quite as powerful as the Mazdaspeed3 (263 hp) and Subaru WRX (265 hp).
Expect further details – along with a facelifted Genesis Coupe – to emerge closer to the Detroit show
