Seven-speed DCT for next Hyundai Veloster

HYUNDAI has given its Veloster three-door sports hatchback a mild facelift, but a new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission for the SR Turbo will be the most significant change when it arrives on Australian soil in the second quarter of this year.

The sportier transmission will replace the current six-speed torque converter variety, potentially improving acceleration, driving dynamics and fuel consumption.

A six-speed manual will continue to be available alongside the auto but the South Korean car-maker expects the hands-free version to continue selling as the favourite, with self-serve variants representing a fraction of total sales Down Under.

Power from the 1.6-litre turbocharged engine is unchanged with 150kW and 265Nm driving the front wheels, but performance figures are yet to be announced for the updated local-spec version.

No driveline changes have been announced for the entry-level Veloster which has a normally aspirated version of the 1.6-litre engine.

Featuring first in the facelifted Hyundai i30 due in quarter one, the new transmission is due to roll out to more vehicles across the South Korean fleet and is likely to jump to sister brand Kia.

Kia is yet to confirm rumours that the seven-speed transmission is destined for the company's feisty Pro_cee'd GT, which is currently only available with a six-speed manual gearbox, but Kia Motors Corporation Australia general manager media and corporate communications Kevin Hepworth told GoAuto the addition would be a welcome one.

“We haven't been officially informed but we certainly hope that it will,” he said. “It's something that would be a very desirable thing to have in the car.”“We've got out fingers crossed and certainly it would be a huge commercial benefit to us if it was to get a seven-speed DCT box.”

Despite a warm welcome from the media, sales of the hot hatch have fallen short of Kia's expectations since the model's introduction in March last year, but Mr Hepworth says an automatic option could lift sales as much a five-fold.

“We expect with a DCT it would be up around 100 to 150 a month. The reality is in Australia without an auto you are hamstrung.”

An update is on its way for the European market Pro_cee'd five-door hatch towards the end of the year but Kia is keeping details of the changes close to its chest, including the possibility of an automatic option.

For comparison Hyundai moved an average of about 280 of the sporty three-doors last year, versus just 30 per month of the manual-only Kia Pro_cee'd.

Aesthetic changes to the 2015 Hyundai Veloster are subtle with mild trim colour changes, new wheel designs and a fresh choice of interior and exterior customisation options, although exact specification for Australia may differ from the South Korean version.

The SR Turbo variant will also gain an engine sound generator, which allows the driver to change the way the Veloster sounds with six synthetic soundtracks.