Next Hyundai Elantra Debuts Overseas

If you didn’t have the Busan International Motor Show on your radar, you probably didn't expect to see Hyundai’s redesigned compact take a bow. But there it was, the Avante as it’s called in the automaker’s native Korean market. Unlike the reveal of the revamped Accent last week, there was no confusion in the press release about this being the new Elantra that will eventually be sold in the U.S.

Hyundai spokesman Dan Bedore would not confirm if this model is anything like what the U.S. will get, but he did confirm a new U.S. Elantra is planned. “As part of our 24/7 (seven new products in 24 months) product surge, we will unveil a new Elantra in the U.S. later in 2010,” he said.

The exterior is a radical departure from the current Elantra, but it's right in line with the new design of the Sonata and Tucson, which have seen brisk sales. The front of the Elantra looks a bit like the Mazda3, but the profile and rear are much more similar to the new Sonata.

Unfortunately, we can’t confirm if the 1.6-liter direct-injection four-cylinder and six-speed automatic will be found in the U.S. version, but it’d be a good bet. Hyundai says the engine is 10% more efficient than its closest competitors, but the company wouldn’t be more specific on that.

We expect other options like high-intensity-discharge headlamps and rear LED taillights to stay overseas as well, but we’ll know more during the next U.S. auto show season that kicks off in Los Angeles in November and runs through the New York auto show in April 2011.

For now, check out more photos below.

Comments

I can't imagine the Elantra will get LEDs in NA when the Sonata didn't. I'm expecting the 1.6L GDI only in the Accent in NA. I'd expect we'll see a 2.0L GDI soon that this car will get for NA. Afterall, the 1.6L GDI makes 138HP in Korean trim. The current 2.0L iron lump the US current gets makes that much.

very sharp looking car! i wonder when pics of the interior will come out.

Love the styling. I hope they add a performance version or a coupe... Hyundai has got all the goods in the styling department right now.

Nice! Very nice! Have to trade in my current Elantra.

This is an extremely nice looking car. VERY attractive!

Here's a link to a spy shot of the interior of the new Elantra.

http://media.il.edmunds-media.com/hyundai/elantra/2011/ss/2011_hyundai_elantra_fint_ss_1_717.jpg

Here's another link of the interior from the opposite side of the car.

http://thecollegedriver.com/system/photos/800/large/2011HyundaiElantraInteriorspy.jpg?1262575544

Wow, this car has performance and style written all over it. This is what the Mazda 3 should have been. Again, good job Hyundai.

This puts the recent GM Cruz to shame! GM could learn a lot of lessons from Hyundai if they paid attention.

Exterior is awesome! But one thing I must say about Interior. They could have found a better place to put the air vents. They seem way too low and spread apart.

Wow, that is an amazing looking car! And it's an Elantra! 0_0

Hyundai is on a roll now and every new car that they redesign, it looks so much better than the previous ones.

But i hope that they change the position of the air vents, otherwise, it's a success on both interior and exterior. :)

Is this a mid-size or compact car? I'm really, really interested. What's the MPG?

Ken,

It's a compact car. The Sonata, while being classified as a full-size, is Hyundai's mid-size car fighter.

The first interior picture has some parts of the dash camouflaged with black tape. The side vents are higher but yes, the vents on the center stack are in a strange place. About the only thing you'll be able to cool are your hands or your crotch.

Hmmm ... BRILLIANT move Hyundai! No more swamp crotch on those hot, muggy days!

All that aside, this is a SWEET looking car and I like the fact that Hyundai is directing the car toward higher fuel efficiency rather than making it more powerful. It's time to start conserving fuel people!

GR, thnx for the interior links. it has a very flowing look about it. i do agree that the hvac vents seem low and small.

i don't know that this puts the cruze to shame as talley aserts. i think it goes in a different direction than the cruze styling-wise.

the cruze is more conservative while this (and the focus for that matter) are more overtly sporty. different choices are great. it beats having a bunch of jellybeans that look the same (like we did a decade or so back).

One can hardly find a flaw in this design. The most important thing about this design is that front, back and side, all look as they belong to each other. In many cars front and back represent different things. Here we see panels and textures working well together.

i agree. i have thought some of the new hyundais were a bit over-stled, but this is just about right. i think this is the best interpretation of hyundai's new front end styling so far.