Hyundai adds turbocharged Veloster and refreshes Genesis Coupe

Historically, Hyundai has never been known for providing anything related to performance. Tiburon has basically failed to attract any type of enthusiast. However, the rear-wheel-drive Genesis Coupe started to change things, and Hyundai recently raised its stake on the 5.0 R-Spec Genesis Sedan. The company still has a long way to go, and through Car and Driver CEO John Kravsick has articulated plans to increase the power of its two "performance" models.

We say “performance” with quotations because, while Hyundai categorizes its front-wheel drive Veloster as a sporty entrant, its hard to call it one. While being lightweight, the 138 horsepower four-cylinder doesn’t move it all that quickly. To offer something for those looking for a more involving drive, Hyundai has announced a turbocharged version. The turbo Veloster will get a 1.6-liter four-cylinder making 204 hp. Now that’s more like it! A boost of 66 ponies will be the shot in the arm that the Veloster needs.

Hopefully, along with the added power will come some suspension and other tweaks. Hyundai is hoping its new Veloster will find a foothold younger buyers wanting to stand out. Small cars have been getting increasingly more competitive and stylish lately, as buyers are looking for more fuel-efficient options. More stylish options is a welcome change. Remember econoboxes from a few years back? On second thought, don’t. They don’t bring back great memories. Hyundai is pitching the Veloster as a sporty offering, slotting in (very much so in our opinion) the Genesis Coupe.

Given that Hyundai considers the Veloster part of its “performance” portfolio, the Genesis Coupe will be getting upgraded to provide more of a separation in power between the two. We doubt the Veloster will prove much of a threat, but it’s good to see the Genesis Coupe getting some improvements regardless. Given Hyundai’s consistent updates to the Genesis sedan, it has been overdue for some tweaking.

Tweaks will include boosting the base Genesis Coupe’s 2.0-liter turbocharged four, as well the updated six-cylinder from the sedan. That means the refreshed Genesis should offer 333 hp from its top-end naturally-aspirated 3.8-liter. No word on where the 2.0-liter turbo will come in as far as power.

Genesis Coupe will also update its styling; Hyundai will update it with a front-end design similar to Veloster. We cannot say that we like that sound. We hope that Genesis Coupe will take a different route, adding a bit similar to the level and maturity of a car. They are clearly going through a cartoonish way. Hope it looks better than it sounds. The updated Genesis Coupe and Veloster Turbo will debut at the North American International Auto Show in January.