Hyundai's first electric race car is a souped-up Veloster

Hyundai is joining the ranks of automakers with electric race cars -- if in a somewhat predictable way. The company has started work on the Veloster N ETCR, a race-tuned EV edition of the Veloster N built for its namesake ETCR championship starting in 2020. There aren't many performance claims at this stage, but it'll have a mid-mounted motor and rear wheel drive to meet race regulations. The gigantic spoiler and race-ready wheels make clear that this isn't just a simple conversion, and we'd expect the inside to be stripped down to the bare essentials.

The Korean car brand saw this as just the start of a larger strategy. It wants EV racing to be "one of the pillars of the company" -- it won't just be a technology showcase like it is for some brands. That will help burnish Hyundai's public image, of course, but it could also lead to motorsport becoming a breeding ground for EV tech that translates to the company's production cars. Don't be surprised if there are sporty Hyundai EVs (including a road-going Veloster, please?) in the future.