Spied: 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

Hyundai’s unique Veloster is due to arrive in the U.S. this summer with a 138-hp, 1.6-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder, and now our spy shooters have captured a prototype that just might be the promised turbocharged version. We have prior confirmation that the car will get a turbo’d, 210-hp version of the Veloster’s little four on the Continent, and we have an inkling that we’ll see it here, too.

A number of clues point to this being the go-faster iteration of the funky-doored coupe. For starters, the front grille and fascia are very different from those of the standard 2012 Veloster—even camouflaged, it’s clear that this car’s intake openings are much larger. The gaping maw would allow improved airflow to an intercooler while also imparting a more aggressive look, and the front appears to house round fog lights—replacing the standard car’s trapezoidal units—above more-pronounced corner sculpting. The lower front fascia aligns with chiseled rocker-panel extensions; together, they give this Veloster prototype a lower-slung look. Moving around to the rear of the test Veloster, we find large round exhaust outlets instead of the normal model’s rectilinear ports.

This may simply be a non-turbo European-spec test car, but if this car is in fact a U.S.-bound blown model, it’s likely at least a year away. The Michigan manufacturer’s plate confirms nothing, as Hyundai maintains an R&D facility in Ann Arbor and automakers routinely test cars in America that will never be sold here.

While we haven’t yet had a chance to drive a workaday Veloster, we don’t see how more power couldn’t be more fun. Bring it on, guys.

Thanks to: Car and Driver