What's all this about?
There's a motor show going on in New York right now that is hogging all the automotive headlines, but Hyundai has decided to fight back by switching attention to the east.
How so?
It has revealed two concept cars on its home ground, at the Seoul Motor Show. Both of them are pretty appealing machines.
Tell me about them, then.
If you'll permit us to save the best until last, we'll start with the Enduro concept. This is a small crossover utility vehicle (CUV) fitted with a 2.0-litre T-GDI turbocharged petrol engine and driving the wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT). It's more of a styling exercise, though, showing off the new hexagonal grille design that you're likely to see on all showroom Hyundais in the near future. It's an aggressive and (dare we say it) attractive looking thing, what with the sweeping aluminium aero blade that links the front wheel arch spats to the grille and the drag-reducing air-blade on the C-pillar. The inside is pretty concept car-y, which means that you're unlikely to see it going into production models any time soon.
Right, that's the starter. What about the main course?
Feast your eyes on the fabulous Racing Midship 2015, otherwise known as the RM15. If you can look beyond the red, blue and black i20 WRC-inspired livery, the keen-eyed among you will see that it's a Veloster. Although this is more of a silhouette than any relation to the oddball coupé.
Why do you say that?
Because no road-going Veloster has an aluminium spaceframe chassis, carbon fibre body panels and a mid-engined, rear-wheel drive layout. Weighing in at a relatively scanty 1,260kg, the RM15 has some drool-inducing data - such as a 43:57 front-to-rear weight balance, a centre of gravity just 491mm above the ground, 24kg of downforce at 124mph and 19-inch monoblock forged alloy wheels. And a torsional rigidity of 37,800Nm per degree, which is very damned serious stuff.
It certainly is. But I bet it's powered by a 1.7-litre CRDi engine, isn't it?
Nope. The same 2.0-litre T-GDI as in the Enduro is fitted behind the only two seats you'll find in the cabin (which also has a full roll-cage), although here it makes 300hp at 6,000rpm and 383Nm from just 2,000rpm. A six-speed manual transmission is fitted to the RM15 rather than a DCT, but even that doesn't slow the thing down much. It does 0-62mph in a BMW M4-troubling 4.7 seconds. Yikes.
Wow, when does it go on sale?
Probably never. But here's our succinct message to Hyundai: You. Absolutely. Have. To. Build. This. And quickly, please.
What about the Enduro?
The what? Oh, that. We're not sure if it will become a reality, but it's much more likely to than the RM15. Which saddens us a great deal.
Matt Robinson - 2 Apr 2015