2011 Hyundai Elantra

Earlier today, Hyundai pulled the wraps off the all-new 2011 Avante, or as we will come to know it, the next generation of the Elantra sedan. Along with the first details and photos, the South Korean automaker also released an animated film on the new Elantra that you can check out right after the jump.

The news of the 2011 Elantra comes only days after the unveiling of its smaller brethren, the new Accent saloon. Both cars pick up styling cues from their bigger brother, the Sonata, which is already on sale in the U.S. For more details on the latest generation of the Elantra

Read More

LA Auto Show: More Debuts Announced, Including Mazda Shinari, New Chrysler 200 Convertible and Hyundai Elantra

Automakers are planning to unload a raft of new vehicles at the rapidly approaching Los Angeles Auto Show. According to the event planners, the LA convention center will host 20 world premieres and more than 30 North American debuts.

We already know about several world debuts such and Nissan's completely redesigned Quest minivan, Murano Cross Cabriolet concept and Ellure sedan study, but today the organizers [officially] confirmed a few more premieres.

These include -in no particular order- the well-received Mazda Shinari sports sedan [read the full story here]; the five-door version of the Land Rover Evoque; Saab 9-4X; Kia Optima Hybrid; VW Eos facelift, and the U.S.-spec Hyundai Elantra compact sedan and Fiat 500

In addition, show planners said Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep will display a handful of new products such as the Chrysler 200 Sedan and it's yet-to-be-revealed, Convertible brethren.

Other models to go on show in LA include the all-new Audi A7 Sportback, BMW's redesigned X3 crossover, Porsche's new 911 Carrera GTS and Speedster, the Jaguar C-X75 study, and five concept sport models from Lotus that we first saw at the Paris Show last month.

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

Read More

Hyundai wants to be more American than Ford, GM, and Chrysler by Building 80% of its U.S.-sold cars in the States

Hyundai, in another bold move to continue attracting American consumers and impressing the public, will soon be building up to 80% American-sold cars in the US (as long as the Elantra makes as big a splash as the Sonata). That would make the little Korean-that-could as "American" as Ford, GM, and apple pie. While this sounds impressive, the numbers are a bit skewed.

For example, the 80% (or "closer to 70%" if listening to J.D. Power analyst Jeff Schuster) is significant when strictly discussing percentages. If discussing volume, the major US automakers still hold the cards. CNN Money reports that if GM were building 66% of American-sold cars here, the number would triple Hyundai's current volume.

Also, the figures deal with completed vehicles; that means cars built in Canada or Mexico using American-built power trains and components will represent the country in which they roll off the line.

With Santa Fe and Sonata production already here, John Krafcik says Hyundai will soon begin manufacturing its next-gen Elantra compact at the company's Alabama plant.

Doing a mighty fine job of keeping it simple, Krafcik says, "I'm going to build my three best selling cars in the U.S. Ford builds its best-selling car in Mexico."

To paint the picture a little more clearly, both Ford and Chrysler build a significant number of vehicles in North America, but when extracting Canadian and Mexican facilities, are left with a number slightly less than Hyundai's expected 80%.

By Phil Alex

Source: CNN

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

Read More

All-New Hyundai Elantra to join Sonata and Sorento in Alabama, U.S. Spec Model to Debut in LA

For some reason (maybe it's a revolution) Hyundai is just all up in everyone's face lately. Whether it's forging the way Stateside with its new Sonata and Tucson or diving head-first into the Russian market with its new Solaris small sedan, the South Korean automaker just appears in the news non-stop like it's no big thing.

Case in point: the all-new and very Soanata-esque Elantra (called Avante in South Korea) is going to be built in good ol' Alabama at the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) plant.

For the record, that's three (yes, 3) models we've got being built here as "made in America", and all in the past few years. Even Hyundai knows it. The first words of the press release are "Hyundai's three most popular models will now be built in the U.S." And that's that.

Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik says, "Hyundai's philosophy is to build our vehicles where we sell them, and with the addition of the Elantra to our U.S. production mix we now manufacture our three most popular models right here in the U.S."

While we've already essentially seen the Elantra (in various forms), it will make its US debut in L.A. in November. If it's anything like the Sonata, which has just plain been knocking them dead in the market, this new little looker could put the Corolla, Civic, and others in its rear-view mirror.

For more on the next Elantra, check out our previous post and get a look at what we here in the States will soon be getting. Expect to see something along the lines of a directly-injected 1.6-liter four-cylinder making 140-ish horsepower and hooked to either a 6-speed stick or 6-speed automatic tranny.

By Phil Alex

Photo Gallery: KDM 2011 Hyundai Avante / Elantra

Read More