Next Generation Hyundai Elantra Touring Spied

It’s no secret that the good folks at Endras BMW are decidedly obsessed with BMW and performance but it turns out they are also good old fashioned car nuts in general as a member of the Endras team spotted this prototype in Toronto.

The shape of the headlights, the similar interior to the sedan and its overall size point to it being the likely replacement for the current (and very tired looking) Elantra Touring. As evidenced by the interior shots, the new Elantra Touring will get a manual transmission option and it even looks to be a six-speed.

I wouldn’t expect the engine options to stray too far from the sedan counterpart which has a 1.8 litre inline four that makes 148 horses.

This spy shot comes on the heels of the other flavour of Elantra, the coupe, being spied totally undisguised just a few days ago.

More details are sure to follow soon on the new hatch from Hyundai.

[Endras BMW]

Oh Hi: 2012 Hyundai Elantra Coupe

Even though the Elantra just won car of the year at this year’s North American Auto Show, Hyundai is hoping to keep the line fresh by introducing a coupe version of their C-segment sedan. It has been spied recently on the back of a flat bed.

We knew this was coming and in terms of design there’s really no surprises here other than that dent in the rear quarter panel. Careful now!

So, coupes are generally known for being of a more sporty nature than their sedan counterparts and the Elantra coupe is…. different from this assumption. So far as I can tell, there will be nothing to set it apart from the sedan in terms of performance. Hell there’s nothing that sets it apart in design either except for less doors. It will get the same 1.8 litre inline four that makes 148 horses. Um, not exactly inspiring performance numbers.

Well, surely they will have reworked the suspension. Nope, not at all. Basically this is a just a less practical Elantra. Why would anyone want that?

You’d think Hyundai would have learned from GM’s Cobalt and Pursuit coupe variants that just chopping off two doors doesn’t make it a performance car. And at least GM had the decency to offer real performance upgrades to those cars in different trim levels. It’s not as if Hyundai isn’t capable of performance either as demonstrated in the current Genesis coupe and upcoming 2013 Genesis coupe.

Overall this Elantra coupe smells of poseur performance. And it will likely sell well because of it. Shame.

[Inside Line]

Canada’s Top 10 Selling Vehicles So Far in 2011

We’re half way through 2011 so it’s a good time to check in and see which models are most appealing to Canadians so far. Honda’s Civic is holding strong as the number one selling car in Canada, while Ford’s F-150 takes best selling truck and best selling vehicle overall.

Here’s the complete list:

1) Ford F-150 – 46,825 units

2) Ram Pickup – 30,459 units

3) Dodge Caravan – 29,986 units

4) Honda Civic – 26,371 units

5) Hyundai Elantra – 24,283 units

6) Ford Escape – 23,183 units

7) GMC Sierra – 22,225 units

8 ) Chevrolet Silverado – 19,233 units

9) Toyota Corolla -18,853 units

10) Chevrolet Cruze – 18,769 units

No big shockers here. I’m a little surprised that the Ford Focus didn’t make the list considering it’s now a credible contender. But Canadians obviously love their pick-up trucks and compact vehicles. Stay tooned to see where each vehicle places at the end of the year and if there will be any new additions to the list.

[Auto 123]

GM Says the Cruze is Better Than…

…a previous generation Hyundai Elantra.

Which is kind of like PC saying that Windows 7 is better than Mac OS 7.6. Of course it’s better!

I don’t know why GM wasted their time and money on this ad or why no one bothered to point out to them that they are comparing apples to oranges. Not only are they comparing their new product to an old product but they’re comparing the Cruze 1LT to the base Elantra.

I’m sure GM will argue that the comparison is still valid since there are probably remaining 2010 Elantras still for sale, but I’m fairly certain that there are also 2010 Chevy Cobalts still for sale. Comparing the Cobalt to the 2010 Elantra and the Cruze to the 2011 Elantra would be more fair.

So why didn’t GM do that? Because they know they would lose in both comparisons. Ha!

While I’m sure the Cruze is a fine step up from the Cobalt, I must say the 2011 Elantra looks way more impressive.

On another note, this is the first time GM has actually targeted Hyundai in their history. Usually they go after Honda and Toyota. That says something about the product now coming out from Hyundai. You have every reason to be scared, GM. The Koreans are coming!

[Youtube]

This Isn’t Necessary, Hyundai

What a clown!

Hyundai’s slogan may be “smart is in” but this is pretty effing stupid.

In an effort to drum up publicity for the upcoming next generation Elantra, Hyundai’s PR department thought it would be clever to stage a spy shot revealing just the front fender of the compact sedan. They then posted it to their twitter account.

Umm, all that says to me is that no one cares about the next generation Elantra to bother taking genuine spy shots. Why does no one care? Because Hyundai has already released an effing picture of the new Elantra completely undisguised in the spring! Click here to see it.

We already know what it’s gonna look like, Hyundai. You already showed the entire world at the Beijing Auto Show.  In the meantime, I suggest giving your PR department a significant pay cut for wasting everyone’s time.

FAIL.

[Hyundai via Twitter]

Oh Hi: 2011 Hyundai Elantra

It’s pretty much a Sonata mini-me. And that’s not a bad thing.

The new Elantra was revealed today at the Beijing Auto Show as the Avante (because that is what it’s called in China) and it is bigger than the current tired looking Elantra. It is expected to get a 138 horsepower direct injected inline four which makes 123 pound foot torque. It has a brand new 6-speed automatic which will help reduce gas consumption by 10%. We’re assuming a manual option will still be available.

There were rumours of a hybrid version being available as well to battle the Honda Civic Hybrid and, more likely, the Honda Insight. But Hyundai did not confirm this at the show.

The new Elantra will be available to buy here in either late 2010 or early 2011.

Keep up the good work, Hyundai! More pics after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Hyundai Wants to Target Lesbians

According to gaywheels.com, Hyundai is one of only four brands that is not considered to be gay friendly. The other three are Kia, Porsche, and Suzuki. In order to be on the gay-friendly list with the rest of the automakers, Hyundai needs to offer benefits to domestic-partner workers.  For the record, gaywheels.com lists Subaru as being the friendliest brand for gays. Apparently 45% of lesbians and gay men prefer Subaru to any other brand

Obviously this is a rather large market that Hyundai is missing out on, so as a result, they have released this commercial for the Elantra that is meant to lure some gay customers to the brand.

Either that or they’re hoping to get more heterosexual male customers with this add.