Hyundai Could Be Killing Its Hottest Hatchback

We loved the Hyundai Veloster N when we reviewed it. It’s a fun, raucous, manual-transmission hot hatch with more styling than sense, and we think the world needs a little more of that. Apparently, Hyundai doesn’t see it the same way. A report by Korea Economic Daily spoke to sources inside Hyundai who say the Veloster could be meeting its end.

Frankly, we’re devastated. The world needs more hot hatch and less CUV, but the Kona N will now be the brand’s hot “hatch” entrant in America. According to the sources within Hyundai, the Veloster will die next month.

That leaves precious few hatches from Hyundai here in America. The Ioniq of course heads the brand’s electric efforts, and the Kona and Kona N hold down the gas-powered fort. In Korea, reports indicate that the brand will produce an Avante N sedan as an alternative to the Veloster N. Here in America, we already get that in the form of the Elantra N. While that car has much the same ethos, it’s just not the same as the little Veloster N.

The Veloster first debuted back in 2011, with much criticism. Back then the Veloster Turbo was as hot as the hatch got, and it was lukewarm at best. However, this one, headed by Albert Biermann, former BMW M boss, brought the Veloster where it needed to be.

We’ll remember the Veloster N fondly. It packed plenty of punch, thanks to its 275 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque, and you could even get the little hatch to lift-off oversteer if you really tried. It cornered flat, helped by an electronic LSD and some very solid suspension, and you could fit all your crap in it. But more than anything, it was fun. From the baby blue N-specific paint to the red accents and manual transmission, the Korean hot hatch was a killer GTI alternative at an affordable price.

As of now, Hyundai has yet to confirm whether the Veloster N is in fact being axed. For now, all we have are the reports from Korean sources. We’ve reached out to Hyundai for confirmation, and will upadte this article with any information as we have it.