The Ioniq liftback is going the way of the dodo next month, and the Veloster is following suit. Introduced with great pomp and circumstance in early 2011, the asymmetrical hatchback with two doors on the right side and one door on the left will be sadly discontinued in July 2022.
South Korean publication Hankyung understands that dwindling sales are to blame for the Veloster’s demise. This increasingly noticeable slowdown is further explained by the introduction of the Avante N, which the U.S. knows under the Elantra N moniker. Priced at $32,150 excluding destination charge, the go-faster sedan is $350 cheaper than the Hyundai Veloster N.
Even though it’s a rather practical hatchback, the Veloster N is a bit weird from a design standpoint for most prospective customers. Hankyung notes that South Korean sales of the Veloster N dipped from 1,388 units in 2020 to 510 units in 2021. Between January and April of this year, Hyundai moved merely 99 examples of the four-door hatchback in its home market.
Another disruptor comes in the guise of the Kona N, which is particularly desirable thanks to its five-door crossover body style. At $34,200 excluding destination charge, it’s also more expensive than the mid-sized Palisade.
Truth be told, hatchbacks were never popular in South Korea. The i30, for example, was discontinued in 2020 over increasingly worsening sales. Hearsay suggests that Hyundai may discontinue the i30 for good after this generation, replacing it with the next-generation Kona. Slightly larger than the first generation, the new Kona seems to be an appropriate substitute.
Too small to be considered practical and too visually challenged to be cross-shopped with a coupe, the Veloster and Veloster N will be missed by a rather small group of people. As a hatchback owner myself, this development is rather sad, even though I would choose the Hyundai Elantra N with the optional dual-clutch transmission as my spirited daily driver.
Even though it’s a rather practical hatchback, the Veloster N is a bit weird from a design standpoint for most prospective customers. Hankyung notes that South Korean sales of the Veloster N dipped from 1,388 units in 2020 to 510 units in 2021. Between January and April of this year, Hyundai moved merely 99 examples of the four-door hatchback in its home market.
Another disruptor comes in the guise of the Kona N, which is particularly desirable thanks to its five-door crossover body style. At $34,200 excluding destination charge, it’s also more expensive than the mid-sized Palisade.
Truth be told, hatchbacks were never popular in South Korea. The i30, for example, was discontinued in 2020 over increasingly worsening sales. Hearsay suggests that Hyundai may discontinue the i30 for good after this generation, replacing it with the next-generation Kona. Slightly larger than the first generation, the new Kona seems to be an appropriate substitute.
Too small to be considered practical and too visually challenged to be cross-shopped with a coupe, the Veloster and Veloster N will be missed by a rather small group of people. As a hatchback owner myself, this development is rather sad, even though I would choose the Hyundai Elantra N with the optional dual-clutch transmission as my spirited daily driver.