At NAIAS 2011, Hyundai wheeled out its unique Veloster coupe that brings with it many firsts for the marque. The affordable coupe has three doors and comes with Hyundai’s first dual-clutch transmission, for instance.

Like the VW Scirocco and Renault Megane Coupe, the Veloster is a two-door hatchback/coupe type of car with a rear hatch. But the much touted “third door” isn’t the rear hatch, but a conventionally hinged door on the passenger side, which Hyundai says provide safe and ready access to the rear seats.

Unlike in the Mazda RX-8, the Veloster’s rear door is only on the passenger side, and can open independently without first opening the front door. The handle is hidden Alfa 147-style.

In terms of size, the Veloster is 4,218 mm long and 1,790 mm wide, which is 138 mm longer and 50 mm wider than the Honda CR-Z. It has quite a long wheelbase of 2,649 mm. Hyundai says that the Veloster has more cabin volume than the CR-Z, Scion tC and Mini Clubman. Weight is 1,172 kg.

Apparently, the cabin is sport bike inspired. The center stack is supposed to resemble the fuel tank, the air vents are tailpipes, while the floor console mirrors the seats of a bike. I can’t really see that link, but it’s a funky dashboard nevertheless. All the lines seem to point to the push button starter, which isn’t hidden in some dark corner, but proudly placed in the centre stack – Ultraman style.

Powering the Veloster is a 1.6 Gamma engine with direct injection, the smallest Hyundai engine to use GDI. Equipped with Dual-CVVT, it produces a strong 138 hp at 6,300 rpm and 167 Nm at 4,850 rpm. That’s 86.3 horsepower per litre, which Hyundai says is best in class. Another figure they’re proud of is 40 mpg, or 14.2 km/l economy on the highway.

The Gamma’s drivetrain accomplices are six-speed transmissions, manual or dual-clutch. The all new DCT is developed by Hyundai and gains 5-6% improvement in fuel efficiency as well as 3-7% improvement in acceleration compared to a torque converter auto. The Veloster has an Active Eco mode which modifies engine and transmission control for “more than a seven percent improvement in real-world fuel economy”.

Suspension wise, it’s a McPherson strut front suspension and a light-weight V-torsion beam for the rear, the latter with an integrated 23 mm stabilizer bar to allow bracing of the arms for greater stiffness. Steering is EPS, and turning circle is best in class. The standard tyres are 215/45 R17s, but 18-inch alloys (with painted inserts) are available with 215/40 performance rubber.

Gallery and a video is after the jump.
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It does get convoluted with doors, sometimes, what with two-, three-, four- and five-doors to contend with, mentally speaking. You can imagine a coupe or hatch for the first two designations, a sedan for the third and a hatch for the last.

Now, if you were told that the Hyundai Veloster Coupe, which is set for its world premiere next week in Detroit, has three doors, or four if you will (see, it gets confusing), what would you imagine?

Not quite what you would, really, because the Veloster isn’t exactly quite shaped up like the 2007 HND-3 Concept, even if it does retain the name, which is an amalgamation of velocity and roadster.

This one features two doors on the passenger side and a single, larger door on the driver’s side. A bit like the Clubman, but this one is a full-sized offering, which translates to far easier ingress/egress for the rear occupants even with right-hand drive compared to the Mini. A large tail gate makes it four doors, if you want to be sticky about designation.

No details have been announced, aside from the teaser photo released by Hyundai, though reports are that the car will come wearing a 1.6 litre direct-injection four-cylinder pot and a dual-clutch tranny. More to come next week when the Veloster arrives.

Hyundai’s new VF wagon, which will make its world premiere Geneva next March, is to be called the i40 in Europe. The Elantra-based estate will be followed by a sedan variant later in the year. The company says that the vehicle is aimed at further shifting consumers perception of Hyundai to a more aspirational position.

Designed at Hyundai’s European R&D facilities in Rüsselsheim, Germany, the new i40 is the company’s first D-segment model to be specifically developed for the European market, progressing the ‘fluidic sculpture’ design language by connecting the front, side and rear profiles of the rakish lines to present a bold, dynamic shape.

The estate will also become Hyundai’s most innovative model on sale on the continent, and will include the latest environmental technologies developed under the company’s Blue Drive eco-programme, as well as a powertrain line-up which boasts best-in-class performance and fuel economy and very low CO2 emissions. No other details have been announced, but that should all change as it gets closer to the vehicle’s debut in Geneva.

Gallery after the jump.
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