While Hyundai’s big V-8–powered Genesis luxury sedan headlined the New York auto show, the automaker was making headlines on the other side of the world at the Seoul auto show with an entirely different concept: a small sports car called the Veloster.

The name—a rather ungraceful Hollywood-style union of the words “velocity” and “roadster”—means little to us, because the fixed-roof two-plus-two isn’t actually a roadster, and its puny 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine promises little in the way of velocity. Perhaps Hyundai should have christened it “CRX,” because that’s what its styling, body proportions, and powertrain program most vividly recall.



And that’s not a bad thing. We loved the Honda CRX, so we’d be happy if the Veloster somehow were to make it to production. However, being a show car, the Veloster concept features an interior full of stuff we’ll never see, at least not at a CRX price point, including shiny white acrylic ’60s-inspired seat cradles, soft cocoa brown leather upholstery, and more neon red lights than the Las Vegas Strip. Other cool touches include gorgeous five-spoke wheels with red inserts, an engine start button on top of the shift lever (à la Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren), and a glass roof bisected by a body-color “Mohawk.”

“With the Veloster, we wanted to try something really different. We’re keenly aware that we need radically new products for the Y Generation, the first-time 20-something buyer,” said Oh Suk-Geun, Hyundai’s vice-president of design. In other words, the Veloster is part of the Korean giant’s plan to take on Scion in the same way the Genesis is going after Lexus. Look out, Toyota. And Honda, you might want to renew that CRX trademark.

Has a Ford Focus kinda look about it........Pretty cool. Modern