500HP Hyundai Veloster Rally Car Makes its Way to the Chicago Auto Show

Hyundai and Rhys Millen Racing (RMR) go back a long way and their partnership has been further cemented at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show with the unveiling of the Veloster rally car which is powered by a specially tuned four-cylinder turbocharged engine capable of 500-horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque.

A production version 2012 Veloster provided the base for the competition model, which was built by twelve RMR employees. The hatchback was stripped to bare metal and had its chassis stitch welded, increasing structural rigidity. In order to keep the weight down, Millen’s crew replicated many standard body panels out of carbon/Kevlar, such as the hood, doors, quarter panels, front and rear fascia. The finished product tips the scales at just 2,656 pounds or 1,205 kg.

An additional rear wing increases downforce, while the custom suspension allows for a lot of travel, needed for the typical rallycross jumps. Stopping power is provided by 14-inch front and 12-inch rear Alcon rotors with six piston calipers, complemented by custom built 18-inch HRE alloys, wrapped around in 245/40 Hankook racing tires.

The interior has been stripped of all comfort features and fitted with eight-point safety cage, firewall and Sparco racing buckets.

A total of three cars will be built, the first of which will be raced by Rhys Millen himself in the 2011 U.S. Rallycross Championship. A second all-wheel drive model will be shared between rally champion Marcus Dodd and world record freestyle motorbike rider Robbie Maddison at the Summer X Games, while a third one will compete in the 2WD class of the U.S. Rallycross Championship, with celebrity drivers at the wheel.

HYUNDAI VELOSTER RALLY CAR

Curb weight: 2,656 pounds
Engine: Hyundai 500-horspower four-cylinder turbocharged
Transmission: Xtrac six-speed sequential
Transfer case: Xtrac four wheel drive
Front and rear differentials: Xtrac
Suspension: Proflex jumbo coil over
Front Brakes: 14-inch Alcon rotors with 6-piston Alcon calipers
Rear Brakes: 12-inch Alcon rotors with 6-piston Alcon calipers
Wheels: 18 x 8.5-inch HRE Tires: 245/40-18 Hankook racing tire
Seats and harnesses: Sparco

11:12 PM | 0 comments | Read More

500HP Hyundai Veloster Rally Car Makes its Way to the Chicago Auto Show

Hyundai and Rhys Millen Racing (RMR) go back a long way and their partnership has been further cemented at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show with the unveiling of the Veloster rally car which is powered by a specially tuned four-cylinder turbocharged engine capable of 500-horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque.

Read more »

2:31 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Hyundai Veloster Rally Car to Land at 2011 Chicago Auto Show

Hyundai is certainly not wasting any time with its plans for the Veloster. Less than a month after the world premiere of the sporty three-door model at the Detroit Motor Show, and the South Korean firm released a teaser photo of a rally-prepped version, complete with Red Bull livery that will break cover at next week's 2011 Chicago Auto Show. Being a teaser, we don't get any additional information whatsoever with Hyundai pointing us towards its press event in Chicago on February 9 for more details.

We'll remind you that in the beginning of March, South Korea's largest automaker will also reveal the European specification Veloster at the Geneva Motor Show. It remains to be seen if we'll also see the rang4-topping version with a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine kicking out 208-ponies that we first told you about in our scoop story here.

4:31 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Hyundai Veloster Rally Car to Land at 2011 Chicago Auto Show

Hyundai is certainly not wasting any time with its plans for the Veloster. Less than a month after the world premiere of the sporty three-door model at the Detroit Motor Show, and the South Korean firm released a teaser photo of a rally-prepped version, complete with Red Bull livery that will break cover at next week's 2011 Chicago Auto Show. Being a teaser, we don't get any additional information whatsoever with Hyundai pointing us towards its press event in Chicago on February 9 for more details.

Read more »

7:42 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Hyundai Veloster Rally Car to Land at 2011 Chicago Auto Show

Hyundai is certainly not wasting any time with its plans for the Veloster. Less than a month after the world premiere of the sporty three-door model at the Detroit Motor Show, and the South Korean firm released a teaser photo of a rally-prepped version, complete with Red Bull livery that will break cover at next week's 2011 Chicago Auto Show. Being a teaser, we don't get any additional information whatsoever with Hyundai pointing us towards its press event in Chicago on February 9 for more details.

Read more »

7:42 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Hyundai Releases First Real Life Photo of the New i40 Mid-Size Model

Hyundai today gave us a new sneak peek of its upcoming i40 mid-size model with the release of the first real life image of the car, which is scheduled to receive its world premiere at the Geneva Salon on the 1st of March. The new i40 will replace the older generation Sonata in Europe competing in the D-Segment with the likes of the Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat. At Geneva, we'll see the estate version of the model (probably named i40 CW) with the four-door sedan variant to follow before the end of the year.

Up until now, South Korea's largest automaker had only released a set of illustrations of the i40 CW (CrossWagon). The new photo shows off the interior of the i40, and in particular the dashboard with its sculpted shapes.

There's a big screen display mounted high up on the middle of the dash flanked by a pair of small air vents, underneath which nestle a bank of push buttons for ventilation and minor controls.

The company claims that new i40 "will move the company towards a ‘modern premium’ positioning that will bring high-end features and vehicle quality to Hyundai customers at accessible prices."

Hyundai has not released any details on the engine line-up, but it is believed that at launch, the i40 will be offered with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol with direct injection and an output of around 170-horsepower, plus two variants of the a 1.7-liter turbo-diesel with 115 HP and 136 HP.

The new i40 will be joined in Geneva by the European specification of the Veloster sports model (see our scoop photos here) and the Curb small crossover concept study, which we first saw at the Detroit Motor Show this past January.

4:33 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Hyundai Releases First Real Life Photo of the New i40 Mid-Size Model

Hyundai today gave us a new sneak peek of its upcoming i40 mid-size model with the release of the first real life image of the car, which is scheduled to receive its world premiere at the Geneva Salon on the 1st of March. The new i40 will replace the older generation Sonata in Europe competing in the D-Segment with the likes of the Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat. At Geneva, we'll see the estate version of the model (probably named i40 CW) with the four-door sedan variant to follow before the end of the year.

Up until now, South Korea's largest automaker had only released a set of illustrations of the i40 CW (CrossWagon). The new photo shows off the interior of the i40, and in particular the dashboard with its sculpted shapes.

There's a big screen display mounted high up on the middle of the dash flanked by a pair of small air vents, underneath which nestle a bank of push buttons for ventilation and minor controls.

Read more »

6:51 AM | 0 comments | Read More

SCOOP: European Hyundai Veloster Coupe Shows its Face, will get 1.6-liter Turbo with 208HP

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know by now that Hyundai unveiled its Veloster coupe at the 2011 Detroit Motor Show. So, what's with the 'scoop' title of our post, we here you ask? Well, this here example is the European spec Veloster and it was caught undisguised by our spies in Germany ahead of its debut at the at the Geneva Salon in the beginning of March.

The only visible styling changes over the North American model concern the use of clear indicators up front, all-red tail lamps at the back and the newly styled alloy wheels. Unfortunately, our spies couldn't get close enough to the prototype to snag the interior, but don't expect to see any significant modifications other than trim and color options.

Read more »

9:02 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Hyundai Confirms New Veloster Coupe for Australian Market

The all-new Hyundai Veloster revealed at the North American International Motor Show in Detroit earlier this week will make its way to Australia, the South Korean automaker announced today. Hyundai said it still working on the timing of the launch but added that it will most likely go on sale in Australia towards the end of the year with details of Australian specification and pricing to be revealed at a later date. Read more »

8:34 AM | 0 comments | Read More

VIDEO: First Look at the 2012 Hyundai Veloster Coupe on the Road

On Monday, we got our first taste of the all-new 2012 Hyundai Veloster at the Detroit Auto Show. Now, we have the first video footage of Hyundai's unconventional small sports car, which is distinguished by its asymmetric body with a single door on the driver's side, two doors on the other and a rear hatch.

Power for the front-wheel drive Veloster comes from a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 138-ponies, hooked up to either a six-speed manual or a double clutch transmission. Hit the break to watch the first video of the Veloster on the road with some bonus handbrake/slideways action towards the end of the clip.

Read more »

9:01 PM | 0 comments | Read More

2012 Hyundai Veloster Debuts in Detroit, Eyes Honda CR-Z, Scion tC and MINI

[Updated Photo Gallery] What started out as the Veloster concept model at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show has come to life as a production model at this week's 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Unlike most other production models that tend to be more conventional than their conceptual siblings, Hyundai's Veloster is actually more outlandish than the 2007 design study thanks to its asymmetric layout with a single door on the driver's side and two conventional doors on the passenger-side.

Hyundai is bullish about the Veloster's rivals as the company released several comparison charts pitting the small coupe against the 2011 Honda CR-Z, Scion tC, Mini Hardtop and Mini Clubman.

According to the South Koreans, the Veloster’s total interior volume of 105.3 cubic feet beats all the aforementioned models, while the automaker also notes that at just 2,584 pounds, its small coupe is more than 400 pounds lighter than the Scion tC.

Read more »

12:53 PM | 0 comments | Read More

New Hyundai Veloster Teased Again, Reveals Third Side Door

According to Hyundai's dedicated Veloster web page, we'll have to wait for the Detroit Motor Show to open its doors on Monday, January 10, to see the new sports hatch in the flesh. However, the South Korean automaker continues the tease with the release of yet another photo, this time revealing the Veloster's asymmetric layout with two conventional doors on the passenger's side and a single door on the driver's side. The Veloster also gets a large rear hatch with a split rear glass.

Read more »

8:26 AM | 0 comments | Read More

New Hyundai Veloster Coupe: First Official Teaser Photo and Video Released Ahead of Detroit Show

It won't be long before we get to see the production version of the 2007 Veloster Concept as Hyundai has launched a mini site counting down the days and hours left before the small coupe makes its world premiere at the Detroit Motor Show in mid-January.

The road-going model will keep the concept car's Veloster nameplate, while according to the official teaser video, it will be equipped with a modern direct-injection engine linked to a dual-clutch transmission with an estimated 40mpg fuel consumption (5.8 lt/100km).

Read more »

11:02 AM | 0 comments | Read More