HYUNDAI's sensational new Veloster is hotly-tipped to sweep the boards at motor awards in 2012 after the company trounced other manufacturers in 2011.

Motoring journalists are all revved up over the revolutionary sporting design from the South Korean car maker, which beat finalists BMW, Mazda, Skoda and Toyota to be crowned Which? Car Manufacturer of the Year 2011.

The eagerly-awaited Veloster will hit UK showrooms in the next few weeks following a year in which awards piled up thick and fast for Hyundai's ultra-modern, fuel efficient cars.

In January, the Hyundai ix20 was awarded a 5-Star Euro NCAP rating saftey rating. The B-segment MPV recorded a class-leading score of 85% in the 'child occupant protection' category.

In March, the i10 was voted Best City Car by CarBuyer.co.uk. Judges said: "It has always been affordable, economical to run, fun to drive and very practical, but now it's stylish and well made too. For our money, there's no better city car around."

In May, motoring website HonestJohn.co.uk voted the eco-friendly i10 Blue as the "Most genuinely economical petrol-engined car". HonestJohn editor Dan Harrison said: "Nothing gets our users going quite like fuel economy: when consumption in real life fails to live up to the official published figure, they soon let us know about it.

"So it's good to be able to reward the models which come closest to matching - or improving on the official fuel consumption figure and the Hyundai i10 Blue is one of the best examples of this by genuinely delivering over 60mpg in real-world driving."

Hyundai bosses scooped the prestigious Which? Best Car Manufacturer award in June. Which? Chief Executive Peter Vicary-Smith said: "Hyundai stood out thanks to its great warranty deal and value for money cars."

In August the all-new Hyundai i40 was awarded a 5-Star Euro NCAP safety rating with scores among the best in its class. In the adult test the i40 received 92% and in the child test 86%.

The same month, Auto Express 2011 New Car Awards made the i10 Best City Car for the second year and the ix20, the Best Supermini MPV.

In October the newest model in the Hyundai range is awarded Best Estate Car at the 2011 Scottish Car of the Year awards. The i40 Tourer is praised for its space, practicality, economy and elegant styling. It also wins a Golden Award for design at the EuroCarBody Conference.

In the same month, the Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi 7 seat won the title Best Used SUV in What Car? magazines Used Car of the Year awards.

What Car? magazine commented: 'The Hyundai Santa Fe has improved with age, offering space, practicality and reliability and an ever-more bargain price."