2021 Hyundai Veloster N to enter US market in October with eight-speed DCT, Performance Package

After the arrival of the Hyundai Veloster N with a new eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission for the 2020 model year in its native Korea, the brand’s hot hatchback has been announced for the North American market as a 2021 model.

The Veloster N will enter the North American market solely in top specification with the Performance Package as standard, featuring the 2.0 litre Theta T-GDI turbocharged petrol engine that outputs 275 hp and 353 Nm of torque, or 378 Nm for 20 seconds on temporary overboost. This is enabled by the N Grin Shift setup which also sharpens transmission response, and its settings can be customised in the ‘Custom’ drive mode.

This wet-clutch eight-speed DCT-equipped Veloster N does the 0-100 km/h sprint in 5.6 seconds, or 0.5 second quicker than with a manual transmission. Additionally, the N Power Shift (NPS) function that is available in only the most hardcore N drive mode controls engine speed upon upshifts to offer more aggressive gearchanges when more than 90% throttle is demanded.

On top of that, N Track Sense Shift (NTS) also can detect when the Veloster N is in conditions ‘optimal for dynamic driving’ by using sensors to recognise quick acceleration and hard braking, such as on a circuit, and activates automatically for the optimal gear selection and shift timing for the best on-track performance.

This enables gearshifts just like those delivered by a racing driver, and Hyundai claims improvements of almost one second on a race track compared to a manual-equipped Veloster N. The chassis has also been given revisions specific to the DCT model, such as the springs, bump stops, dampers, anti-roll bars and camber in order to account for the extra 50 kg over the manual and the resulting shift in weight balance.

Beyond the go-faster hardware and software, the Veloster N for North America packs a host of advanced driver assistance features as standard. These include forward collision avoidance assist, Lane Following Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Driver Attention Warning, Blind Spot Collision-Avoidance Warning and Rear Cross-traffic Collision Warning.

Inside, the Veloster N gets new N Light Sports Seats trimmed in cloth and leatherette which save 2 kg over the standard seats, and the N Light Sports Seats each get an illuminated N logo on the upper section of the backrest, which comes on together with other interior lights in the car.

The 2021 model-year Veloster N with the new eight-speed DCT gearbox will arrive in North American dealers in October, says Hyundai, and the Chalk White exterior paint colour will be replaced by a standard white finish from the November production run onwards, says the company.

GALLERY: 2021 Hyundai Veloster N

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