Hyundai Veloster set for Detroit debut

Hyundai has officially confirmed the production version of its Veloster sporty hatchback -- revealed in concept form (pictured) at the 2007 Seoul motor show -- will debut on January 10 at the Detroit motor show.

Heavily disguised prototypes of the compact sportster have been spied on numerous occasions over the past several months, but Hyundai's latest anouncement is accompanied by a short teaser video (watch it here) that gives away a few tidbits of key information.

We already knew a direct-injection engine (a version of Hyundai's Theta II GDI powerplant) was destined to reside under the car's pointy snout, but now we know it will be mated to a VW Golf/Scirocco-mimicking dual-clutch transmission.

Interestingly enough, Veloster prototypes have been spied testing alongside the Scirocco, so it's clear what the South Koreans have been benchmarking the car's dynamics against.

The teaser video also highlights a consumption figure of 40 miles per gallon (5.9L/100km), so we're sticking to our earlier speculation that the base powerplant will be a smaller unit than the 2.4 engine used by the i45 (aka Sonata).

Importantly, the video also provides confirmation that the concept's Veloster moniker would be carried over to the production car, and Hyundai America CEO John Krafcik has been quoted as saying the showroom version retains between 70-80 per cent of the design language previewed by the show car.

Spy shots aired over the past few months suggest the Veloster could sport a MINI Clubman-esque rear-hinged door on the passenger side to provide easer ingress/egress to the rear seats.

As previously reported, value for money will be one of the Veloster's USPs, with Krafcik touting the car's fun factor and fuel economy. In this respect it will compete head-on against the Honda CRX, with which it shares its basic proportions.

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