Hyundai unveils a topless Veloster concept, and an extended apology

Sometimes, automakers enter big shows on a wave of glory and rising sales, and other times, they're shrouded in scandal. Hyundai is definitely having a bad year, publicity-wise. After an extended, depressing L.A. Auto Show apologia for overstating mileage estimates on hundreds of thousands of cars —"this whole episodes has been "difficult for all of us at Hyundai,"—and a deflection that the whole mess has been no big deal, that it only comes out to about 0.5 MPG on average, Hyundai then unveiled, with a blare of terrible techno music and even worse graffiti art, "a concept car created for a wide-open lifestyle."

This is the Hyundai Veloster C3 Rolltop, which has a canvas roof that retracts like a wheel blanket, aquamarine rear-wheel rims, and a "drop-down tailgate" featuring repurposed London subway tiles and a special-built rack for a fixed-gear bike. At last, someone has made a car especially for Portlandia characters. All Hyundai has to do is paint a bird on it, get those mileage estimates right, and it's golden.