Is Hyundai Really Testing A Veloster N With A 2.5-Liter Engine?

Hyundai recently announced that the Veloster N will soon become available with an optional eight-speed dual-clutch transmission but this might not be the only thing being developed by the N division.

A few days ago, two intriguing images of a Hyundai Veloster prototype in South Korea were shared on Autospy. While only a single image showing the car’s side was shared, we can clearly see that it has a sticker on the side revealing it is powered by a 2.5-liter T-GDi four-cylinder turbocharged engine. The image may be fake, however.

Autospy took an up-close look at the image and noticed a set of aftermarket side skirts and the edge of a decal appearing to wrap around the front wheel arch. After a little bit of digging, it discovered that a blue Veloster N owned by tuning company Unusual Parts sports these same side skirts and decals (pictured below), indicating that someone may have taken a picture of this Veloster and simply photoshopped on the sticker revealing its engine details.

In the event that the image is real, it’s worth mentioning the all-new Genesis G80 was recently announced with this 2.5-liter engine where it is good for 300 hp, giving it a slight power advantage over the current 2.0-liter turbo-four used by Hyundai’s N models producing as much as 271 hp.

This isn’t the only performance-focused four-cylinder turbo that Hyundai has. Earlier this month, a prototype for Hyundai N’s mid-engined sports car surfaced and that prototype was reportedly sporting a 2.3-liter turbo with a claimed 312 hp.

With this in mind, just why would Hyundai be testing a Veloster N with a 2.5-liter engine? It’s difficult to say for sure as we understand the 2020 model with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission will retain the current 2.0-liter unit. One possible explanation is that Hyundai is considering a new 2.5-liter to add to the Veloster N range but that sounds unlikely. Another explanation is that a different model in the Hyundai range could get an N variant with this engine as one of the photos includes a disguised Kona prototype.