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

Hyundai Begins Receiving Orders for its First-Ever Hybrid Model

Hyundai has officially started accepting orders in South Korea for its first-ever hybrid model, the Elantra LPI HEV, ahead of the car's market launch on July 8. Billed as the world's first hybrid electric vehicle to be powered by a Liquefied Petroleum Injected (LPI) engine, the Elantra LPI HEV made its premiere at the 2009 Seoul Motor Show in April. To be sold under the Avante badge in Korea, the Elantra LPI HEV drivetrain consists of a 1.6-liter LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) engine, a 15kW and 105Nm electric motor and a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).

The Korean automaker claims that the Elantra LPI HEV emits just 99 g/km of CO2 and 90 percent fewer emissions than an equivalent standard gasoline-powered Elantra. The mild-hybrid car returns an average fuel consumption of 17.8km/l or according to Hyundai, the gasoline equivalent of 22.2km/l which translates to 52.2mpg US and 4.5lt/100km, representing a 47 percent improvement over a conventional 1.6L auto-equipped Elantra.

In Korea, savings for buyers are even greater as the average price of LPG in the country is 50% less than that of gasoline. The Elantra LPI HEV will be followed in August by Hyundai's sister company's, Kia Forte LPI HEV that is powered by the same drivetrain.

Hyundai Preparing New Elantra Coupe, Azera and Genesis R-Spec with 429HP V8

After registering record sales in 2010, Hyundai seems committed to an all-out offensive with the company reportedly planning to launch a coupe version of the 2011 Elantra and the new Azera sedan in the U.S. within the next year or so. According to an Autoweek report, the news was broken at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention in San Francisco, where the Korean automaker also showed its dealers a photo of the upcoming coupe.

“They showed us a photo of it and it's gorgeous,” said Doug Fox, a Hyundai dealer from Ann Arbor, Michigan. “We weren't expecting that.”

It is said that the two-door model will go on sale this spring, however Hyundai spokesman Jim Trainor neither confirmed nor denied the existence of the car, simply stating that the alleged launch date is inaccurate.

Hyundai previewed the redesigned Azera as well, which will get a new 3.3-liter direct-injected V6 gasoline engine, estimated to deliver about 260HP and better fuel economy compared to the current model.

“It'll give us that step-up car from the Sonata for when Sonata owners come back and want something a little bit larger”, Fox said.

Dave Zuchowski, Hyundai's U.S. sales boss, told reporters that the new Azera is due in January 2012, with projected U.S. sales of 18,000-20,000 units per year.

The last item on the manufacturer’s list was the announcement of a new trim level for the imminent 2012MY Genesis, dubbed R-Spec. Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik said that the new model, featuring a new 429HP 5.0-liter V8 engine and in-house-developed 8-speed automatic gearbox, would make its debut at this week’s Chicago Auto Show. Base price is expected to be between $45,000-$50,000.