FANS of quirky compact performance cars rejoice – Hyundai is readying another generation of its Veloster sports coupe-slash-hatch, and development prototypes spotted undergoing public road evaluation signal that it’s on track for a late 2017 reveal.

Hyundai will persist with the current car’s unique three-door/four-door liftback design for the second-gen Veloster, which puts a single door on the driver’s side and two doors on the passenger side. It’s a configuration that allows a sporty coupe-like profile on one side and a more pragmatic layout on the other which eases entry to the rear seats.

Camo covers up the snout and tail, but we can see that the new Veloster’s side sheetmetal will be slightly more subdued. While the current model flaunts engorged wheelarches to give it a fat, planted stance, its replacement will dump those features in favour of a smoother, more mature design language. The A-pillar blackout graphic also appears to have been nixed for gen 2.

There are, however, rumours that Hyundai will introduce an even hotter N-badged variant to sit above the Veloster Turbo, which will borrow elements from the upcoming i30 N hot hatch to help turn up the heat. Odds are high that the i30 N’s turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine will be one of those elements.