The Veloster N may reportedly be on the chopping block, but the latest spy photos taken in Germany suggest that at least one example is being used to test a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Hyundai has been caught testing a plug-in hybrid version of the Veloster N. Equipped with two fuel doors, seen gassing up, and bearing a “Fahrzeug mit Hochvolttechnik” (“Vehicle with high-voltage technology”) sticker, it’s an unusual development for the model.
Despite receiving critical praise, Hyundai America announced just last month that the Veloster N would follow the rest of the Veloster lineup in the U.S. and go to that big racetrack in the sky. Reports from Korea, meanwhile, indicated that production of the vehicle would end this month at Hyundai’s Ulsan plant, currently the only place the car is made.
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Just what’s going on here is hard to know for sure, but this model’s second, square filler cap — presumably for charging the battery — appears to be well considered. It has been carefully molded into the body, suggesting that this wasn’t some hack-and-slash job designed simply for a quick and dirty test car.
The wheels, too, have not previously been seen on a Veloster N. The filled in space between the spokes would suggest that they’ve been designed for aerodynamics, which seems like a reasonable decision for a plug-in hybrid.
In addition to those modifications, a special air intake also appears to have been installed on the left side of the front end. Likely to provide added cooling capacity, these are a hallmark of high-performance vehicles. A quick look at the background of these photos, meanwhile, shows that it was seen exiting the Dottinger HOHE Hotel, which is just down the road from the Nürburgring, another hallmark of high-performance vehicle development.
That all points to Hyundai seriously testing this performance plug-in. Given how big a role electrification has taken in the automotive world, it makes sense that Hyundai is working on a greener N model; it’s just surprising that it has taken this particular shape.
