Hyundai came out swinging at the Chicago Auto Show, making a bold statement of sporting intent with two new cars.

The first vehicle was a halo car of sorts for Hyundai’s forthcoming Veloster. Teaming with long-time Hyundai partner Rhys Millen, Hyundai introduced the Red Bull/Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Veloster Rallycross car. The Veloster rallycross wields Hyundai’s roaring 2.0 liter turbocharged Theta motor, with a larger HKS turbo helping to kick out 500 horsepower and a whopping 600 lb-ft of torque.

Impressively, the Veloster Rallycross also uses the stock chassis from the Veloster road car, albeit with some limited stitch-welding for additional strength over jumps. Adding to this structural strength is a carbon-fiber body, which also reduces the weight of the car to a shade over 2600 pounds. To better handle the power and to improve traction, the Hyundai employs an all-wheel drive system.

This car boosts the sporting credentials of both the Veloster and the brand itself, but Hyundai wasn’t done with their sporting announcements, as they also announced a new sporty Genesis sedan. The Genesis 5.0 R-Spec dispenses with the standard car’s 4.6 liter Tau V8 in favor of a new, more powerful 5.0 liter unit. How powerful, you may ask? 429 horses and nearly 380 lb-ft. of torque. From a Hyundai.


Now, given that the company’s 25 years old in the US this year, it’s incredibly impressive to see how far they have come. If you had told anyone who had a Hyundai Pony in the mid-eighties that we’d see a Hyundai with a 430 horsepower V8 in the conceivable future, nobody would have believed you. Heck, if you’d made that same assertion six or seven years back, it would have still seemed a bit implausible. Yet, here we are.

Hyundai also showed off a brace of pre-production Velosters. It was comforting to see that the original bold styling of the Veloster concept had actually made the jump to the production car, with big alloys, aggressive grilles and the odd, but useful third door.


Strangely, Hyundai also placed the Azera prominently on their stand, wedged between the two Velosters. The Azera, which I had literally forgotten was still on sale, seems to be surplus to requirements in Hyundai’s current lineup, which sees it squished between the higher end models of Sonata and the base Genesis. Whether Hyundai will bring the new Azera, just released in Korea, to the US remains to be seen, but few will miss it if the model dies.
Also on display was Hyundai’s new micro-SUV concept. Slotting in below the Tucson, the HCD-12 Curb packs a turbocharged version of the Veloster’s 1.6 liter inline four and will use the double-clutch transmission pioneered in the Veloster. A design that brings the Elantra and Sonata’s design cues to Hyundai’s SUV line, the Curb likely foreshadows redesigns to the Veracruz and the Santa Fe.


While Hyundai brand-mates Kia didn’t have such exciting announcements, they showed off their new KV7 concept. A minivan-slash-SUV, the KV7 distinguishes itself with its gullwing doors, massive touchscreen table in the second row of seats and funky design cues. What bearing this concept will have on Kia’s line is entirely unclear, though.


Few would argue that Hyundai and Kia seem to have grasped the automotive zeitgeist of the moment. Their products are well-constructed and they’re proving that they can compete with their Japanese and American competitors. Whether they can maintain this vein of good product remains to be seen, but it seems that Hyundai and Kia have announced their rude health in triumphant fashion.