Skip to main content

Hyundai’s Veloster N hot hatchback will prove its mettle on the track

The Hyundai Veloster N is the first model from the Korean automaker’s N performance division sold in the United States. The problem with launching a brand-new line of performance cars is that they don’t have the heritage and street cred of more established rivals. One way to build up that credibility is to go racing, so Hyundai unveiled a racing version of the Veloster N at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show.

The Hyundai Veloster N TCR will race in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series. TCR (short for Touring Car Racing) is a relatively new class that uses cars based on production sedans and hatchbacks like the Veloster N. These cars cost less to run than their counterparts in other racing classes, which has led to TCR being adopted by multiple racing series. In the U.S., the Veloster N will compete against TCR versions of the Audi RS3, Honda Civic Type R, and Volkswagen Golf GTI.

Fans will be able to see a car they can actually buy compete against some of its logical rivals on the track. That wasn’t the case in 2018, when Hyundai ran a pair of i30 N TCRs in the Pirelli World Challenge in partnership with race team Brian Herta Autosport. The i30 N is not sold in the U.S., but the car was approved for competition and Hyundai wanted to go racing sooner rather than later. The team won a championship, so Hyundai’s impatience seemed to pay off.

This time around, the car Hyundai races will be based on the car in its U.S. showrooms. Hyundai claims the Veloster N TCR shares 85 percent of its “core components” with the standard production model. That includes the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which makes 350 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque in the race car. That’s up from 250 hp and 260 lb-ft in the stock Veloster N. Power still goes to the front wheels, but the race car gets a special six-speed sequential transmission with pneumatic paddle shifters.

Numerous other modifications are made at Hyundai Motorsport’s headquarters in Alzenau, Germany, to make the Veloster N into a racing thoroughbred. The hatchback gets cartoonish looking fender flares and massive rear spoiler, which give it an angry look. The interior is gutted and fitted with a roll cage and six-point harness for safety.

The Hyundai Veloster N TCR makes its racing debut January 25 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Florida. If you have a race team, Hyundai will also sell you one of these cars for about $155,000 at current exchange rates. A stock Veloster N starts at $26,900, meaning you could buy five of them for the price of one race car. Or one 755-hp Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.

Editors' Recommendations

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Hyundai upgrades its Veloster N with the best the aftermarket has to offer
hyundai veloster n performance concept sema 2019

Previous

Next

Read more
Hyundai turns the Veloster into an off-roader for America’s biggest tuning show
Hyundai Veloster Grappler

Half hatchback and half coupe, the Hyundai Veloster is about to get even weirder. The South Korean carmaker announced plans to introduce a Veloster-based off-roader during the 2019 edition of the SEMA show, which is the largest gathering of aftermarket tuners and modifiers in the United States.

Hyundai calls the Veloster Grappler concept a rugged, sporty all-terrain compact car, and it certainly looks the part. While it's visibly based on a Veloster, it gains a lift kit, massive tires wrapped around aftermarket alloy wheels, and Baja Designs fog lights mounted on a bull bar with an integrated skid plate. More lights are attached to the Thule roof rack, and plastic cladding over the wheel arches allowed the builders to make the Veloster wider.

Read more
Limited-edition Hyundai i30 N Project C is Korea’s hottest hatch
hyundai i30 n project c hot hatchback 2019 frankfurt motor show

Previous

Next

Read more