Hyundai Veloster to be dropped from global line-up

The Hyundai Veloster will be the next model dumped by the Korean manufacturer, with reports suggesting production of the quirky hatchback is being wrapped up.

According to Korean publication Hankyung, Hyundai will end production of the three-plus-one-door hatchback after an 11-year run, with the Veloster becoming a victim of the manufacturer's electric vehicle push.

Having been launched in Australia a decade ago, the first-generation Veloster racked up more than 17,000 local sales before the second-generation, i30-based model succeeded it in late 2019 – lasting just over a year before being taken off the local market due to its conventional hatch sibling's $10,000 discount.

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Hankyung's report suggests the Veloster has taken a significant hit in popularity thanks to the launch of the i30 Sedan N (known as the Avante N in Korea), with the new four-door model taking away sales from the unconventional hatchback offering.

In a four-month period between January and April, just 99 units of the top-spec Veloster N were sold in its local market – the i30 Sedan N managed 1624 sales in the same period.

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The upcoming fully-electric Kona has also been blamed as a catalyst for the Veloster's demise, with the latter's Ulsan 1 plant production line occupying space which could be used for production of the EV crossover.

With the Veloster now disappearing from international showrooms, there is a void in the market for a hatchback with one door on its driver's side and two on the passenger's side – a unique layout which likely won't be repeated.