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2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo: March 2013

Much of my time spent with the Veloster Turbo was under gray skies dumping inches of snow.
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Hyundai Group invests $90 million in Rimac to develop electric halo cars

The Hyundai Group is the next large automaker to make pilgrimage to Croatia, all for the purpose of investing 80 million euros ($90 million) in Rimac. Hyundai has chipped in 64 million euros ($72 million), while Kia added 16 million euros ($18 million). The tie-up puts a much faster spin on the South Korean automaker's electrification goals, with current plans to get 44 "eco-friendly models" on sale by 2025. Developing products with Rimac means working up two proper halo models to lead the charge. The press release stated Hyundai's intent to "to lead the high-performance electrified vehicle market and enhance its status as a game changer in Clean Mobility." According to Thomas Schemera, EVP of the group's product division, "Our goal is to popularize electric vehicles and to create social value through world-class technology and innovation in performance." The Hyundai Kona Electric, Ioniq and Nexo, and the Kia Soul EV and Niro EV have all won praise, but won't be enough in their current forms to garner the attention Hyundai and Kia desire. We'll see first fruits as soon as next year. Two high-performance electric prototypes are expected to debut, one being a battery-electric vehicle, the other a hydrogen fuel cell EV. The battery-powered offering will be a zero-emission version of Hyundai's mid-engined sports car for the N division. This has been in the works for seven years now, with three concepts put on show starting with the Veloster Midship in 2014. The RM15 followed a year later, the RM16 N (pictured) a year after that. The automaker didn't indicate what the FCEV would be. The aim, however, is to bring both to marker "at a later time." On Rimac's side, the investment helps the small Croatian on its quest for Tier 1 Supplier status. Only ten years old and employing about 500 people, Rimac has supplied technology to Aston Martin for the Valkyrie, Jaguar for the E-Type Zero, Koenigsegg for the Regera, and Pininfarina for the PF0. Porsche bought a ten-percent stake in Rimac last year, following a 30-million-euro investment from Chinese battery maker Camel Group to take a 19-percent stake. The Eastern European concern remains focused on its own bowtie-inspired hypercars as long as founder Mate Rimac leads, though. As he told Motor Trend in April, "Of course I'm very passionate about helping other manufacturers build their cars. But if the shareholders decide it doesn't make sense to produce our own cars, they we'll have to find another CEO."

Hyundai bringing Elantra GT, special edition Veloster to Chicago

Hyundai will be bringing two new products to next week's Chicago Auto Show, a company source confirmed to Autoblog. The first is a freshened version of the Elantra GT – pictured above as a 2014 model – and the other is a special edition of the Veloster hatchback. Our source was mum about specific details, but said that the Elantra GT refresh was simply that – nothing crazy or all-new. In other words, we expect some lightly touched-up styling, and perhaps some improvements to the interior refinement, infotainment and technology, and maybe powertrain. As we reported earlier, the two-door Coupe is no longer part of the Elantra lineup, so these changes might be a way for Hyundai to further differentiate the GT from the sedan. As for that Veloster, it won't be anything revolutionary, either. Hyundai has historically used the Chicago show to debut special editions of the Veloster – take a look at last year's Re:Flex, for example – and we expect the same this time around. Perhaps a new matte paint finish? That's been a popular choice for Veloster Turbo buyers, after all. Whatever may be in store, we'll have the full scoop next week during the Chicago festivities. Stay tuned. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2014 Hyundai Elantra GT View 21 Photos Chicago Auto Show Hyundai Hatchback Economy Cars hyundai elantra gt