2018 Hyundai Veloster snapped | spy pics

A prototype of the next generation, 2018 Hyundai Veloster has been snapped testing in California, giving a clear indication of the sporty hatch’s revised look ahead of its expected motor show debut this year.

While the idea of a five-door Veloster shouldn't be dismissed, this left-hand drive test vehicle retains the current car's four-door format of one on the driver's side, two on the passenger side, plus the hatch. The giveaway is the single rear door handle on the right side and the lack of rear door frame on the other.

The coupe roofline appears to be staying, but the future Veloster will have very different rear-end styling with sleeker, more horizontal taillights. The central dual exhaust on the car snapped here is as per the current Veloster Turbo.

While the front of this mule is masked better than a superhero, it’s hard to disguise the shape of that enormous grille which will likely have the same wide look as the new generation i30 revealed at the 2016 Paris motor show. The new Veloster will ride on the third-gen i30's all-new platform.

As for engines, the current Veloster offers two versions of the same 1.6 four-cylinder, producing 103kW/167Nm in the naturally aspirated entry-level car, and 150kW/265Nm in the Turbo.

A more hardcore version of the 2018 Veloster is a real possibility, courtesy of Hyundai’s high-performance N Division. That car could feature the same (around 200kW) 2.0-litre turbo four set to power the i30 N hot hatch.

Will a fresh Veloster be on your 2018 sports car shopping list? Tell us what you think in the comments below.