The Detroit Auto Show played host to a wide number of debuts and concept vehicles. One car, though, stood out, not only because of its appearance but because of its involvement in one of this year’s biggest blockbuster movies. The car is a 2019 Hyundai Veloster. It’s impossible to miss because it showed up in Detroit dressed in a shiny purple exterior with hot rod flame graphics all over it. More importantly, this particular Veloster will play a role in Marvel Studio’s Ant-Man and the Wasp, which hits theaters in July this year.

It’s not that uncommon for automakers to find their cars in any of Marvel’s films. This type of cross-promotional partnership has done wonders for Audi and Acura in the past. Now it looks like Hyundai’s getting its turn in the spotlight, and I can’t think of a better car to get that shine than the new Hyundai Veloster.

There are probably better Hyundai models to have this role, but the Veloster is the right model to use because the car’s target consumer base — young people with an affinity for excitement — fits right into the same demographic that Marvel traditionally captures in any of its blockbuster movies. The Marvel Cinematic Universe and its growing catalog of movies and shows have become rich environments for automakers looking to attach their brands to large audiences and some of the worlds’ most popular pop-culture icons. It’s a perfect fit for the Hyundai Veloster.

As far as the Veloster’s involvement is concerned, neither Hyundai nor Marvel have given any indication beyond the former saying that the Veloster will prove its “capabilities in serving as the ultimate escape vehicle.” The description doesn’t say much in the way of specifics, but it does hint that the hot hatch will be used in the movie, perhaps by Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), in some kind of chase sequence.

Whatever the case is, the Hyundai Veloster’s involvement in one of the biggest movies this year is a huge advertising coup for the Korean automaker. Audi, in particular, has reaped the benefits of having a lot of its models, most notably the R8, enjoy prominent screen time in the MCU. Loren Angelo, director of marketing for Audi America, told Automotive News in 2016 that the German automaker’s presence in the MCU contributed to “30 percent increase in the brand’s awareness and opinion metrics” since the R8 first turned up in 2008’s Iron Man.

Now it’s Hyundai’s turn to leverage that opportunity for the new Veloster.

References

Hyundai Veloster

Hyundai Veloster Brings N Performance to U.S. for 2019!

Hyundai Veloster Gets Much-Needed Redesign, but What's with the Lancer Evo Face?

Read our full review on the 2016 Hyundai Veloster.

Read more Detroit Auto Show news.

Read more Hyundai news.