2011 Hyundai Elantra

Hyundai is one of the few manufacturers to have grown over the past two years. In the category of subcompact cars, the Accent dominates sales in Canada with over 23,000 units for 2010. The Elantra, meanwhile, looks good and is close to the Mazda3 and Honda Civic. Chairman and CEO of Hyundai Canada, Stephen Kelleher welcomes the results of its business.However, he does not want to stop there. During the presentation of the new 2011 version of the Elantra, the great patron of the Korean manufacturer has prepared the ground for journalists attending the event by saying this: "Make a try and tell me if she has what it takes to lead sales in this category. "The die is cast and Hyundai officials have set ambitious targets for the Elantra, especially for a market as competitive as that of compact cars. 
The 2011 Elantra is definitely not the most compact sports market today - why, we must instead turn to the Mazda3. And the new sedan from Hyundai can not claim to be the most pugnacious side price - in this respect, the Chevrolet Cruze (yes, yes!) Supplants the more or less $ 1000. And no doubt that the future Ford Focus will not throw in the towel far away either ... 
Still, the new generation Elantra is definitely the prettiest of compact currently available. Not only its aerodynamics (0.28 cx) has nothing to be jealous of hybrid cars, but his style while smooth and muscular right where it counts makes her stand out in the landscape as small as larger cars. The design is elegant and, following the trend initiated by the Sonata, it takes some elements unique to the luxury brand Mercedes. Certainly, the Elantra will still look good even after four or five years in the ring motor 

Under the hood, the Hyundai Elantra 2011 will be significantly powered by a 1.8-liter DOHC Gamma GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) 4-cylinder, 148 horsepower and 131 lb torque. The engine is coupled to a gearbox six-speed automatic. Provided with direct injection and an automatic transmission, the Elantra is 10% more efficient fuel economy than its closest competitors, according to Hyundai. The new Elantra includes Hyundai's latest ambitions, featuring the best style and best performance in its class

 

Hyundai i-flow Concept to debut at Geneva 2010

The sketch above previews the Hyundai i-flow concept, which will make its world debut at the Geneva show at the end of this month. Hyundai says this concept will preview a future D-segment competitor – but really, is it time for a new D-segment competitor so soon when the Sonata has just been revealed? The Sonata already has a coupe-like roofline so it would be quite overkill for them to do a “Passat CC CC” with another take on a D-segment car.

This is just a hunch but it could be possible that what Hyundai meant in its press release as D-segment is different from what we normally consider as D-segment cars. In the US, what we call D-segment cars are CD-segment cars. The Camry is a CD car, while Toyota’s D car is the Avalon. Hyundai had a model like that – the Azera, and it was even sold here in Malaysia. The Azera was first launched in 2005 and it’s about time for a 5-year lifecycle full replacement model to arrive!

This new concept car could be slotted in between the Sonata and the Genesis as Hyundai’s most expensive front wheel drive executive car (taking the place of the Azera) before we start to enter Genesis rear wheel drive territory. But then again I could be wrong and this is really a “double CC” version of the Sonata.

The same press release also says this new i-flow concept will be used by chemical company BASF (there’s a good chance you use BASF products in your car everyday – they make petrol additives too) as a platform to showcase some technology such as lightweight materials, and solar cells.

New Hyundai Sonata and Tucson coming in April!

Hyundai Sime Darby will be a very busy company in 2010, and the first launches we can expect from them this year is the introduction of the new Sonata YF and Tucson SUV, which is scheduled for April. Both cars will be imported CBU from Korea, and our source has also revealed the variants that will be brought in.

The sixth-generation Sonata, codenamed YF, will come with two Theta II engines – a 163 bhp/198 Nm 2.0-litre and a 176 bhp/228 Nm 2.4-litre, mirroring the engine options of its D-segment Japanese rivals. Not only the Sonata’s figures compare very well with its competitors, it also has a six-speed automatic gearbox (Accord and Camry 2.4 have five forward ratios) which is self-developed and claimed to be “maintainence free”.

The Tucson SUV will also ship with these two engines and the six-speed auto ‘box. If you want 4WD, opt for the 2.4-litre model, as the 2.0-litre Tucson will be front-wheel drive only. Hyundai’s Theta II, which is a development of the GEMA world engine, is 10kg lighter than its predecessor, more frugal, cleaner and comes with Dual CVVT. The latest GDI direct injection engines won’t reach our shores however, due to below par fuel quality.

Spec levels for these two cars will be competitive and prices will undercut their immediate rivals, which we take as the Honda CR-V for the Tucson, Accord and Camry for the Sonata. You may have noticed the Arab number plates on these pictures; they were snapped this afternoon as we have been test driving the new Hyundais in Muscat, Oman. Unfortunately, we cannot share our impressions with you yet as the story is embargoed, but do stay tuned for updates as the launch date nears. Let’s just say for now that these new entries have great showroom appeal and are very decent to drive