Hyundai Veloster revealed

Korean firm finally unveils its stylish 2+2 coupe, complete with crazy 2+1 doors.

Hyundai is set to serve up a new niche when the Veloster hits the road later this year. The firm claims the new car will be the first “utility coupe”, although there’s no doubting that the car is aimed straight at the likes of the Honda CRZ and Renault Megane Coupe.

The Veloster was first shown as a concept at Hyundai’s home Motor Show in Seoul in 2007. Hyundai had no plans to put the car into production, but such was the favourable reaction, that the firm decided to greenlight the car in a bid to help Hyundai appeal to younger buyers.

Details from the original showstopper, including the sculpted bonnet, striking LED head and taillights and blacked-out A-pillars are all carried over. But the big news is that Hyundai has decided to include the unique 2+1 door layout. On UK cars, the driver’s door is elongated, like that of a normal three-door hatchback, but on the passenger side, there are two, conventionally-hinged doors, with the rear aiding access to the back seats.

The interior as been cleverly packaged to liberate decent cabin space and a large, deep boot, while the design has been created very much with a younger audience in mind.

To that end, the centre console is dominated by a seven-inch touchscreen display which features the firm's new Blue LInk tech. This means the car can be connected to a whole host of devices ranging from iPods to PlayStations, while the stereo will also feature Gracenote database access to your music is named and organised in the same way as Apple’s iTunes music store.

The Veloster has been developed under the codename FS, and is built on a modified version of the Cee’d’s front-wheel drive platform. Entry-level cars are powered by a 138bhp 1.6-litre direct injection petrol engine, with flagship models getting a 205bhp turbo version of the same engine. The car will also debut Hyundai’s six-speed twin clutch gearbox, which ups efficiency by five per cent and acceleration by up to seven per cent over the standard six-speed manual.

SsangYong e-XIV Concept

Ssangyong has released the first official images and details of the latest model in its XIV concept family – the Ssangyong e-XIV – ahead of its unveiling at the 2012 Paris motor show later this month.

The e-XIV, short for ‘electric exciting user interface vehicle’, is the third concept in the series, following the four-door Ssangyong XIV-1 from the 2011 Frankfurt motor show and the Ssangyong XIV-2 soft-top, which debuted the year after at Geneva.

Unlike the previous two petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles, the Ssangyong e-XIV concept features a more advanced plug-in hybrid range extender powertrain.

A small petrol engine acts as a generator to top up a battery pack to drive an electric motor, delivering a long driving range and low fuel consumption and emissions. A solar cell mounted on the roof expands the e-XIV’s green credentials.

At 4160mm long, 1790mm wide, 1575mm tall and riding on a 2600mm wheelbase, the Ssangyong e-XIV concept is, for comparison’s sake, 195mm shorter, 175mm narrower and 30mm lower than the Range Rover Evoque, with which it shares some basic design themes.The e-XIV evolves the styling of the earlier concepts, with aggressive LED headlights and running lights, huge alloys within muscular wheel arches and sharp, flowing lines around the pillars and rear bumper.

The Ssangyong XIV concept family is set to spawn a whole range of next-generation urban SUVs from the South Korean manufacturer, which is expected to roll out around the middle of the decade.

Hyundai Santa Fe 2013

The Santa Fe has been inspired by the 'Fluidic Sculpture' design language seen on the i40, but Hyundai claims it has its own unique style - called 'Storm Edge'. Whatever the name, the Santa Fe looks great with its large hexagonal grill, sharp bodywork and distinctive kink in the shoulder line.

The seven-seater is longer, lower and wider than its predecessor, but shares the same 2,700mm wheelbase. Front and second-row legroom has been increased by 38mm and 45mm respectively. A deeper boot means there's 534-litres of space with the front five seats in place, and 991 litres with all seats folded.

The long-wheelbase model is 215mm longer, 10mm higher, 5mm wider and has a wheelbase that's 100mm longer than the standard car. It has maximum boot space of 1,160 litres and is available with six or seven seats. Unlike the standard car, it comes with blindspot protection and a power tailgate.

All models will use an on-demand four-wheel-drive system, which sends 100 per cent of the power to the front tyres unless it senses slip at the rear, at which point it can spilt the power 50:50. Buyers will be able to choose from a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.

Only diesel engines will be available in the UK, including a new 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel with 148bhp, 382Nm of torque and CO2 emissions of 155g/km. The 197bhp 2.2-litre diesel unit is carried over, but with tweaked emissions of just 145g/km.

To make sure the handling is up to the challenge of bumpy British roads, the steering (which has three settings to control the weight), suspension and brakes have all been tuned especially for the UK. It's a capable tow car too, with a maximum towing capacity of 2,500kg.

 Hyundai standard equipment will be generous, while top-spec cars will get high-end systems such as radar-controlled cruise control, parking assist and a lane-departure warning system.