When Hyundai released its plans for 2022 late last week, we couldn’t help but notice that the standard-issue Veloster wasn’t mentioned in the Korean car giant’s documentation. We scratched our heads and pondered on this for a bit, but the company has decided to confirm what many long suspected, and that’s the demise of the Veloster which will be axed for 2022 with the 2.0, 2.0 Premium, R-SPec, Turbo and Ultimate models all being axed .
Funky Hatchback Is Going Into Retirement..Kinda
While the bulk of the Veloster lineup fell victim to the surge in popularity of CUVs like the Kona and the Venue, today’s announcement comes with a very prominent catch that might please hardcore enthusiasts. That little loophole is of course the Veloster N model which gets clemency and will continue to be offered for 2022. The Veloster N is competing in a sales battle against rivals like the Volkswagen GTI and the Subaru Impreza and has managed to make a solid name for itself out on the track. We have even grown to like it ourselves during some of our encounters with it.
As for the standard Veloster, it has had a distinctly different run of luck. These days, it’s very difficult to find a Veloster in dealer inventory, and the few that are still lingering in lots are being cleared out with Hyundai actually paying showrooms to help clear them out. As mentioned, the Veloster was a victim of the CUV craze (just like the Elantra GT) but unlike the Elantra, the Veloster’s odd design compounded its problems. A big one is that the car was the only one in the market with three doors. While the novel door decision did give the car a distinct personality, it also impaired access for rear passengers and cargo.
How Long Will The Veloster N Stick Around?
The next logical question on everyone’s minds is just how much longer the Veloster N will stick around? On the surface, Hyundai’s move is largely identical to that of Volkswagen’s which axed the standard Golf lineup but retained the high-performance GTI and R models. However, both Volkswagen’s have strong customer loyalty and have a reputation for performance that’s heavily ingrained in the minds of buyers.
The Veloster N on the other hand is still a relatively young model and while the N added an eight-speed wet dual-clutch automatic to the lineup back in 2021, it’s still trying to establish itself as a solid contender in the hot hatch ranks. As a result, losing the majority of your supporting cast in one fell swoop is not a very good sign for the model as a whole.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.