Hyundai’s more popular mid-size sedan the Elantra (Avante is certain markets) is heading for a generation change and if the recent reports are to be believed, the next generation model could be launched as early as next year in its home market of South Korea. According to industry sources, the next generation Elantra (codenamed AD) will be available in the first half of 2015 in the Korean market and the automaker has commenced testing the vehicle and as seen in the spy shot above, the test mule is in its early stages.
Hyundai had originally planned to launch the next generation Elantra in the second half of 2015; however, the highly competitive Korean market compelled the automaker to schedule the launch earlier in the first half of the year. The 2016 Elantra will be comprehensively redesigned featuring the new Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 philosophy that debuted on the latest Genesis saloon, 2015 Sonata and now on the new generation i20 hatchback. Expect to see far more restrained lines, an upright front fascia and flattened curves for a more muscular appeal on the next generation Elantra.
Inside the cabin as well, a redesigned dashboard with better quality plastics is expected and a plethora of new features as well as safety tech will be on offer. We expect a certain set of features to trickle down from the Sonata as well onto the new gen Elantra. Under the hood, the new Elantra will feature improved GDi petrol and CRDi diesel engine options with improvements to the 1.6-litre Gamma petrol and 1.6-litre U2 diesel engine. There is also a possibility of an electric variant in the works for the Korean market.
In India though, expect the 1.8-litre petrol and 1.6-litre diesel engines to continue to power the 2016 Elantra lineup. While the South Korean launch is scheduled for next year, we expect the Indian spec Elantra to get updated with the international lineup for the 2015 model year featuring a mild facelift, whereas the next generation model will be launched directly in 2016. The Hyundai Elantra competes agains the Skoda Octavia, Volkswagen Jetta, Renault Fluence, Chevrolet Cruze and the Toyota Corolla in the D-segment.
Source – The Korean Car Blog
