Filed under: New York Auto Show, Economy, Hyundai
New York Auto Show: 2007 Hyundai Elantra
The new 2007 Hyundai Elantra is the seventh new product from Hyundai in the last two years. The all-new midsize (that’s a new EPA classification thanks to 112.1 cubic feet of interior volume) gets Hyundai’s now traditional battery of safety equipment including six airbags, ABS brakes and front-seat active head restraints. The new lines echo the company’s recent design philosophy of restrained expression. While some might call that boring, others will see the new Elantra as more mature in appearance than its predecessors. The bigger dimensions allow for an interior that’s larger than the inner sanctums of the Civic, Corolla and even the Acura TL. It's clear that Hyundai is aiming the Elantra directly at both Japanese small sedans and will likely undercut them in price by a large margin.
We’ll have to wait until later in the day to bring you more specifics on the Elantra’s hardware, so in the meantime you can feast on more pics and Hyundai's pre-show press release after the jump.
[Source: Hyundai]
ALL-NEW 2007 HYUNDAI ELANTRA MAKES WORLD DEBUT AT
NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW
NEW YORK, April 13, 2006 – The all-new 2007 Elantra makes its world debut today at the 2006 New York International Auto Show. Hyundai’s 2007 Elantra is the 7th all-new product from Hyundai in just 24 months, giving Hyundai the freshest lineup in the industry. All new from headlight to taillight, Elantra brings more refinement, safety and interior space to compact car shoppers. The all-new Elantra is substantially roomier than either Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla.
“With Hyundai’s assertive new design direction, the all-new Elantra delivers more interior space than an Acura TL, and a level of ride and handling refinement that’s both agile and comfortable,” said John Krafcik, vice president, Product Development and Strategic Planning, Hyundai Motor America. “Add in unsurpassed standard safety features like six airbags, anti-lock brakes and active front head restraints and the Elantra continues to offer exceptional value.”
IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURES
All Elantras have six standard airbags, including two advanced front airbags, two front seat-mounted side-impact airbags, and two side curtain airbags protecting front- and rear-seat outboard passengers, anti-lock brakes and front-seat active head restraints. Side-impact airbags are expensive options on direct competitors such as the Toyota Corolla and Ford Focus and are not available on the Chevrolet Cobalt. Side curtain air protection is optional on Corolla and Cobalt and still not available on Focus.
EXPRESSIVE AND CONFIDENT DESIGN
Elantra continues the dramatic new aerodynamic styling theme introduced on the all-new 2007 Santa Fe - assertive, refined and confident. Up front, the Elantra features projector-style headlights and a chrome-accented front grille for a more upscale appearance. The profile of Elantra features an expressive character line and a clean look with bodycolor door handles and mirrors. Elantra is wider and taller than its predecessor. Increasing the height 2.2 inches and moving the driver’s seating position up 1.8 inches opens up the cabin for more room and flexibility. Two inches of added width deliver more front and rear shoulder room as well.
A “CLASS ABOVE” INTERIOR
The Elantra is truly a “class above” Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla for interior room and now offers three percent more space than the outgoing model. Elantra is so roomy the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies it as a mid-size car, not a compact car like Civic and Corolla. With 97.9 cubic feet of passenger room and 14.2 cubic feet of trunk space, the Elantra has the most interior volume for a sedan in its class. Elantra’s total interior volume of 112.1 cubic feet exceeds the 2006 Civic sedan (102.9 cu. ft.), 2006 Corolla (103.8 cu. ft.) and even the near-luxury 2006 Acura TL (110.4 cubic feet) sedan. Elantra trunk capacity also beats Civic and Corolla. Its 14.2 cu. ft. of trunk volume is 18 percent larger than Civic and five percent bigger than Corolla.
SUSPENSION AND STEERING
Elantra’s design team worked to solve the classic design tradeoffs between interior roominess, agility and driving comfort. On one hand, interior space and cargo room are critically important in a sedan in this class; on the other hand, secure, responsive handling and good road isolation are also priorities. The Elantra’s ride quality improves upon that offered by Civic, Corolla, Focus and Cobalt. An advanced, motor-driven, engine-speed-sensing rack-and-pinion power steering ensures the new Elantra has a more agile driving feeling than key competitors.
24/7 PROGRAM
The new Elantra completes Hyundai’s 24/7 new product launch initiative when it goes on sale in fall 2006. Launched in January 2005, the 24/7 product plan includes the arrival of the all-new Tucson, Sonata, Accent, Azera, Santa Fe, Entourage and Elantra. From the flagship, full-size Azera to the entry-level Accent, each of these models has unsurpassed safety technologies and reflects the Hyundai brand’s refined and confident nature.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Sage 1:17AM (4/12/2006)
What do you get when you cross a Toyota Corolla and a jelly bean?
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Cervus 1:18AM (4/12/2006)
That looks very much like my '05 Corolla, even down to the grille, head- and tail-lights.
Color me unimpressed.
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Mark Allerton 1:21AM (4/12/2006)
Hyundai's design has come on leaps and bounds, but while the front and back of this echo the new (and pretty successful) Sonata, what the hell is going on in the middle? I do question the "all new" part here - this looks like a facelift of an older design.
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Amit 1:36AM (4/12/2006)
Looks like a Jetta with rounded features. Bland sums it up. Not much worse than a Corolla though ;-) I think Hyundai will find it difficult to get young buyers for this. But who knows, the Cobalt sells well enough.
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Koba 1:38AM (4/12/2006)
Well, as long as Hyundai can be realistic about pricing this thing, I might consider it. 14 grand should get an auto, and the usual list of extras (PW, PDL, P-Mirrors, etc). I'd also like to see it get over 35 mpg on the highway. They really need to get it in their head that they still need to rely on the value card pretty heavily, I thought it was hilarious when the new Sonata came out, and many dealers thought they could charge MSRP (which is looking more Japanese aka. overpriced everyday). WRONG!!! They are a good comapany with good product, but they're not top tier players, yet.
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Nick 1:42AM (4/12/2006)
did they have to make it so round? jeesh.
and yea, it looks like a corolla
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iQuack 1:45AM (4/12/2006)
Looks like a small Buick LaCrosse to me.
I guess the Taurus window design in the side/rear is a current inspiration now that the Taurus is being discontinued. Odd.
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Nat 2:05AM (4/12/2006)
"While some might call that boring, others will see the new Elantra as more mature in appearance than its predecessors."
I will be part of that "some". Yawwwn. You know... if I actually wanted a Corolla, I'd be a Toyota fanatic who wouldn't ever consider a Hyundai.
What I WANT from Hyundai is a hot little AWD turbo'ed hatch (inspired from their Rally team) that goes like stink and undercuts the EVO and WRX STI by a huge margin. But alas, Hyundai seems hell bent on being a Toyota clone (which is funny considering how much Toyota copies everyone else).
Funny side note: currently Toyota's most performance oriented car is the Matrix. Oh, but if we are lucky we'll get a special Waltrip Edition Camry! Oh BOY!
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jeffrey 2:08AM (4/12/2006)
Front's not bad, but the profile and rear view both look awkward to me. Body looks disproportionately large compared to its wheel size... too much emphasis on interior space makes the exterior look a little bloated.
The safety features don't mean much if the structure's not strong - I'll hold off being impressed 'til the NHTSA & IIHS crash tests come out.
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Wes 2:56AM (4/12/2006)
Its a bit jellybeanish but no worse than the civic or corolla and they seem to sell well enough. What bothers me is that the wheels look super tiny compared to the rest of the car- what are those 15s or so? It could def stand some 16,17, or even 18s on maybe some kind of sport model- and then it wouldnt look half bad IMHO.
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WillDaThrill 3:06AM (4/12/2006)
Note to EPA:
If this is a mid-sized car, what do you call a compact car? They don't make Geo Metro's anymore!
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brian 3:14AM (4/12/2006)
Looks great to me. This is my next car!!
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Michael 3:20AM (4/12/2006)
For all the press I hear about Hyundai's recent success, I really don't see too many of them on the street. Which is actually a shame because I think their products (this included) are great.
I agree with the poster that said it looks bloated, but as I said in another thread recently, I think all compact sedans look that way. A compact should NATURALLY be a hatch in my opinion. The sedan Corolla, Mazda3, Yaris, Aveo - they all look awful compared to the 3/5 door versions.
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Nate Wesley 3:26AM (4/12/2006)
What is wrong with you posters? If you could see that Hyundai is raising its game with the Sonata, then how can you not see the same in the Elantra? It's a clean, evolutionary design over the last model. Bland to some, maybe, but you'd never call it ugly.
Koba, your expectations aren't realistic. Did you miss the part where they said the Elantra was a midsize car now? It's bigger. 35 mpg would be a fair highway figure (with 25 or better mpg in the city).
You talk about Hyundai needing to stay in the value game, but they've also stepped their quality and packaging up--you probably shouldn't expect to get bookoo rebates and incentives like GM and Ford are having to offer. The MSRP of the Sonata ($17,895-22,895) is comparable to the INVOICE price of the new 2007 Toyota Camry ($16,715-24,492...both sets of prices from Yahoo! Autos).
The Elantra will undoubtably be priced competitively as well, but Hyundai's obviously moving upward as a loaded small car in the same way Honda and Toyota have the Civic & Corolla. And the Civic can now top $20k easily! A comparable Elantra would be a bargain loaded out at $17k, plus the warranty (but I doubt it'd even get that expensive).
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Richard Warren 8:04AM (4/12/2006)
The new Corolla, no wait Elantra, no wait Corolla, no, no Elantra.
It's Korean, no it's Japanese, no it must be American don't they assemble it in America? No it's Korean
But---- it looks like a Corolla, that Japanese.
It's a compact, no it's a midsize Japanese model, no it's not a Corolla, it's an Elantra.
"It has an expressive confident look" That's true same can be said for Corolla.
The Global "let's copy something Economy"
Whatever it is it will sell
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David 8:30AM (4/12/2006)
looks aren't the deciding factor in selling cars where the users need it just to get from point a to point b. it's pretty enough, good enough fuel economy, good enough features? lower price than competitors? sold.
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Puff Chippy 8:30AM (4/12/2006)
Hmmm, a Corolla but with crappy reliability and iffy build quality. It better be cheap.
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Source1 8:47AM (4/12/2006)
'15. Hmmm, a Corolla but with crappy reliability and iffy build quality. It better be cheap.'
Yeah, Ok. That is why every major reputable publication RECOMMENDS the Elantra ...and most Hyundai's.
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Kowell 8:55AM (4/12/2006)
well it can,t be avoided.. it DOES look a hell like a Corolla. Engines will most likely be shared with the Dodge Caliber given the development joint venture. Looks nice I just hope that:
1. It will priced fairly
2. They got some sort of hatchback version up their sleeves
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Katz 8:56AM (4/12/2006)
Admit it's beautiful, mfs.
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