Hyundai shuffles 2023 lineup, discontinues Accent, Veloster N, Ioniq
The small car segment lost more members on Thursday, with Hyundai announcing the end of production of the entry-level Accent compact car and the N vestige of the Veloster hatchback. The original Ioniq hybrid also ended production this year, ceding ground to a suite of electric vehicles with an Ioniq sub-brand. The three cars will not be back for a 2023 model run.
The changes reflect the ever-changing tastes of car shoppers. The Accent served as Hyundai’s entry-level point into the brand since 2008 as a solid budget car with a great warranty. Its $17,500 starting price left it with a tiny touchscreen and it lacked the driver-assist features Hyundai makes standard across the rest of its lineup. In place of the subcompact car is the Hyundai Venue small crossover launched in 2020. It has standard features such as automatic emergency braking and an 8.0-inch touchscreen, but it also has a starting price that exceeds $20,000 with destination.
Motor Authority Best Car To Buy 2020 testing – Best Car To Buy 2020
The end of production in July for the Veloster N comes as less of a surprise. Hyundai discontinued all but its performance variant for 2022, and the asymmetrical hatchback with a rear third door on the passenger side but none on the driver side kept losing ground to higher riding crossovers. Now, those more popular vehicles get the N performance treatment, in both the Kona N small crossover and Elantra N compact sedan. The Veloster N was so good it might have won Motor Authority’s Best Car To Buy 2020 award if not for that pesky Porsche 911.
2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid, Ioniq Electric, and Ioniq Plug-In
The end of the Ioniq was announced earlier this month, as the hybrid and plug-in hybrid sedan served as a launch pad for an Ioniq sub-brand featuring only battery electric vehicles. The Ioniq EV compliance car was discontinued in 2021, and the hybrid hatchbacks with up to a 59 mpg combined rating couldn’t keep pace with the Toyota Prius and Prius Prime. The Ioniq carries on in name in the excellent Ioniq 5 electric crossover and the new Ioniq 6 sedan.