2011 Detroit Auto Show Preview: 2012 Hyundai Veloster

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

2011 Detroit Auto Show Preview: 2012 Hyundai Veloster

By Nelson Ireson

Editor

December 13th, 2010

The Hyundai Veloster will be coming to the 2011 Detroit Auto Show according to officials at Hyundai's Technical Center in Detroit. These photos give us the first official look at the car ahead of its global unveiling, though it's still clad in camouflage much like the cars we've previously spied in testing. Today, we have further details on the coming Veloster, according to a report out of the U.K.

The weirdest of the Veloster's reported features? A 2+1 door layout, with a regular long coupe-style door on the right side of the car, and a two-door, convetional-hinge layout on the left--for U.K. cars, at least. That orientation isn't likely to be reversed for left-hand-drive countries due to the required changes to the unibody structure. That may explain why the car spotted at the technical center was only visible from the right-hand side.

Unlike the MINI Clubman, which features a reverse-opening secondary door on one side, the safety issues of having such a door opening into traffic (as it would in the U.S.) will be no greater than with any four-door car.

Beyond the funky rear-seat-access door layout, the Veloster will also get seven-inch touchscreen display with external A/V inputs, iTunes-compatible music folder organization, and a number of styling cues carried over from the concept car. Our previous spy shots (in the gallery above) reveal the Veloster won't be a doppelganger for the radical 2007 show car, however.

In case you've forgotten, the Veloster is based on Hyundai's long-running concept, due to reach production, according to previous reports, as a 1.6-liter four-cylinder hatch/coupe rated around 140 horsepower and 40 mpg. Rumors of an upgraded model with a dual-clutch transmission and 200 horsepower have also circulated.

We'll have more details on the Veloster as the Detroit Auto Show nears, but we have the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show to handle first, so check out our dedicated page with all of our coverage in one handy central location.

link:

http://www.motorauthority.com/pictures/1051496_2011-detroit-auto-show-preview-2012-hyundai-veloster_gallery-1#100329825

[regfootball]

pass the dutchie on the left hand side.....because the right side is different

[loki]

smaller tiburon basically?

[Intrepidation]

I like the wheels.