Hyundai Veloster N Discontinued for 2023
What's happening
Hyundai will discontinue several of its small cars for the 2023 model year, the most notable of which is the Veloster N hot hatch.
Why it matters
Hyundai killed the non-N Veloster last year, and says customers should instead consider the Elantra N sedan and Kona N SUV.
What's next
The Hyundai Ioniq hybrid and plug-in hybrid will be discontinued due to the expansion of the Ioniq EV range, and the slow-selling Accent subcompact will be axed, too.
Hyundai announced its 2023 model year changes on Thursday, confirming a handful of cars will be discontinued. The one we're most upset about is the Veloster N hot hatch, but Hyundai will also kill off the subcompact Accent as well as the hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the Ioniq hatchback.
The standard Veloster was discontinued last year due to slow sales, so it's no surprise that the hotter N won't be sticking around. Hyundai cites the introduction of the Elantra N and Kona N as the reasons for the Veloster N's demise, and while those cars are plenty of fun in their own right, we'll always have fond memories of Hyundai's original rowdy boi.
No room for gas-powered Ioniqs in Hyundai's stable anymore.
Hyundai's reason for killing the Accent makes plenty of sense: Small SUVs like the Venue and Kona are fresher and more desirable, especially as customers move away from sedans and into crossovers. Hyundai used to offer the Accent as a hatchback, but that was discontinued a few years ago. The Venue SUV -- which starts at $20,295 including destination -- is now the entry point into the Hyundai brand. It's unclear if the Accent's corporate cousin, the Kia Rio , will also be axed.
Finally, the Hyundai Ioniq hybrid and plug-in hybrid hatchbacks won't live to see 2023, following the death of the fully electric variant last year. As Hyundai works to expand its new Ioniq lineup -- which includes the Ioniq 5 and recently unveiled Ioniq 6 -- having another vehicle that uses the same name is sort of confusing. Buyers looking for small Hyundai hybrids can instead check out the Elantra HEV and Tucson HEV.
The rest of the Hyundai lineup carries over largely unchanged for 2023. The only exception is the Palisade SUV, which received a light refresh, and is expected to go on sale later this year.
