4 Reasons Why 2017 Hyundai Veloster Sales Slip and What it Means

The 2017 Hyundai Veloster isn’t selling as well as it did last year, at least not through April. Sales of the little three-door sports hatch are down almost 67% year over year. Why?

I have a few theories for the 2017 Hyundai Veloster slipping sales.

1. Overall Market Decline

One is that the overall market is seeing sales declines after years of skyrocketing post-recession growth. This wasn’t necessarily unexpected – as the auto industry met and exceeded pre-recession sales peaks in recent years, it was reasonable to assume that the market might see a plateau effect or even slight declines, as pent-up demand was finally met.

2. Veloster Hasn't Been Updated For A Long Time

Another thought is that the Hyundai Veloster simply hasn’t been updated in a while. Not only has it been carrying on in its current form since its introduction in 2011, but it added only minor features, mainly a value package, for 2017. While some happy owners of original Velosters might be trading in their cars for 2017s by now, there isn’t much to catch the eye of people who haven’t looked at the car since it first launched.

With the rare exception of iconic sports cars, when a car is in model year six and changes have been minor over time, the model is going to fade to the back burner in car buyers’ eyes. That might be happening with the Veloster. But the good news is that the redesigned Hyundai Veloster should be here soon, reports TorqueNews reporter Collin Woodard.

3. Veloster's Competition

On top of that, the Veloster competes in a strange slice of the subcompact/compact market segments. It might be cross-shopped versus the Mini Cooper, but it’s cheaper. Conversely, it’s pricier than the Fiat 500 and arguably not as strong a performer as the Fiat 500 Abarth. It definitely doesn’t have the same reputation for performance as the (admittedly pricier) Volkswagen GTI, and it doesn’t arguably feels less upscale – and less mainstream – than the also-sporty Mazda 3. Its odd placement may keep it off some shopping lists.

4. America's Love for SUVs and Crossovers

Finally, it’s important to note that Americans have fallen back in love with SUVs and crossovers – not they ever totally fell out of love – as fuel prices have fallen. While Americans are shifting buying habits back in the direction of larger vehicles, automakers are also adding more and more small crossovers to their lineups – vehicles like the Mazda CX-5. Some Veloster intenders may prefer to get a little more space and to sit a tad higher.

Also See: 7 Velosters That Will Change Your Perception About Hyundai Velosters.

I don’t want to overstate what this may or may not mean for the Veloster’s future – but we know that the car is unlikely to be dropped from the lineup. Just a week or two ago, spy shooters snapped pics of what’s likely the next-generation car, which may go on sale as soon as 2018.

An updated Hyundai Veloster will almost certainly see a sales boost, at least in the early going. Either way, the long-in-the-tooth criticism would be no more.