According to sources, South Korean automotive giant Hyundai Motors will roll out the all-new Elantra in India by Diwali 2012. With the iteration of the car, the company is re-entering the mid sized sedan segment, which has been a weak link for it till date. The car maker is expected to bring the model to the showrooms a few days ahead of the festive season. It will begin local assembly of the model using Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kits at its Chennai plant around August or September. Recently, it rolled out the 2012 Sonata premium sedan as well as the facelifted i20 premium hatchback in the country.
While talking about the 2012 Elantra and Sonata, Director, Marketing and Sales, Hyundai India, Arvind Saxena said, “We would fill the vacuum in the premium car space with two new cars lined up this year. We are targeting much larger volumes with the new cars. Both these are global models developed on the same aggressive ‘fluidic design concept’ that has been accepted well by Indian customer in the new Verna making it the segment leader in mid-size cars.”
The automotive giant has plans to launch the 2012 Elantra with a 1.8 L VTVT powertrain in the petrol variant, while the diesel version will be powered by 1.6 L CRDi engine. This engine will be combined with 6 speed manual and automatic transmission systems. The robust 1.8 L powertrain will belt out peak power of 148 bhp at 6500 rpm and highest torque of 131 Nm at 4700 rpm. On the other hand, the diesel motor will produce 126 bhp of maximum power and up to 265 Nm of torque. The top speed clocked by the car is 170 kmph and it can move from 0 to 100 kmph in just 12.3 seconds. Coming to mileage, Elantra is expected to offer 14.71 kmpl in urban driving conditions and 20.41 kmpl on the highway.
While mentioning the interiors and exteriors of the model, Elantra has some ground breaking features to boast of. The car comes with a power roof, navigation system with 7 inch display, rear view parking camera, active reflectors, bi-functional headlights, chrome finishing, Bluetooth support module, Aux-in support, illuminated instruments, and under-seat storage. It ensures a relaxing and cool ambience while driving via the powerful automatic climate control air conditioning system. The all new car from Hyundai will be available in variety of colours like Radiant Silver, Sparkling Ruby, Midnight Black, Indigo Night, Desert Bronze, Harbor Grey Metallic and Shimmering White.
Tepid sales of the previous edition of the Elantra forced Hyundai to discontinue it in 2007, just four years after its launch in India. Now, the automotive giant is planning to fill the gap between its Verna and Sonata sedans with the new Elantra. The starting price for the base petrol model will be Rs. 11 lacs and may go as high as Rs. 14 lacs for the high end diesel automatic variant. The Elantra will lock horns with the likes of Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet Cruze and Skoda Laura to wrest some market share.
