Hyundai will launch Veloster Turbo in 2012

Hyundai has confirmed it will bring a 1.6 turbo version of the Veloster coupe to the UK in the second half of 2012, as first revealed by CAR.

It should make an interesting alternative to the VW Golf GTI brigade. The new blown four-cylinder engine is called the Gamma 1.6 T-GDI by Hyundai - and it develops an unusually high specific output of 201bhp at 6000rpm and 196lb ft at just 1750rpm.

At a recent powertrain conference in Korea Hyundai said the new 1.6 turbo had taken 52 months to develop at a cost of 69.5 billion won (£40m). We've now had confirmation that this engine will appear in the oddball Veloster coupe.

The 1.6 turbo in the Veloster (and bound for a host of other future Hyundai/Kia models) will meet the EU5 emissions regs, and is clean enough to qualify as an ULEV-2 in California, says Hyundai.

It uses a twin-scroll turbocharger, direct fuel injection and variable valve timing to eke out every last bhp and g/km. But no emissions claims have been announced yet.

'Due to stricter environmental regulations and policies that vary from nation to nation, competition in the development of powertrains and other core technologies is intensifying,' said Woong-Chul Yang, Hyundai's vice chairman. 'Hyundai Motor will accelerate its efforts to develop future powertrains that feature high-performance and eco-friendly engines and transmissions.'

The company also announced a new Euro6 R-2.0 diesel engine. It will develop around 148bhp, but no key economy or CO2 figures have been released yet for this new turbodiesel.

By Tim Pollard