VIDEO: 2011 Hyundai Elantra / Avante Sedan gets Animated

Earlier today, Hyundai pulled the wraps off the all-new 2011 Avante, or as we will come to know it, the next generation of the Elantra sedan. Along with the first details and photos, the South Korean automaker also released an animated film on the new Elantra that you can check out right after the jump.

The news of the 2011 Elantra comes only days after the unveiling of its smaller brethren, the new Accent saloon. Both cars pick up styling cues from their bigger brother, the Sonata, which is already on sale in the U.S. For more details on the latest generation of the Elantra, click here to read out previous post.

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VIDEO: 2011 Hyundai Elantra / Avante Sedan gets Animated

Earlier today, Hyundai pulled the wraps off the all-new 2011 Avante, or as we will come to know it, the next generation of the Elantra sedan. Along with the first details and photos, the South Korean automaker also released an animated film on the new Elantra that you can check out right after the jump.

The news of the 2011 Elantra comes only days after the unveiling of its smaller brethren, the new Accent saloon. Both cars pick up styling cues from their bigger brother, the Sonata, which is already on sale in the U.S. For more details on the latest generation of the Elantra, click here to read out previous post.

»»  read more

All-New Hyundai Elantra / Avante Sedan Unveiled at Busan Motor Show

Only days after the unveiling of the new Accent small sedan (Verna for South Korea) in Beijing, Hyundai rolled out the next generation of its Elantra saloon - badged as the Avantre in its home market- at the 2010 Busan International Motor Show today.

Boasting a much sportier look than its rather dull predecessor, the new Elantra continues Hyundai's 'fluidic sculpture' design philosophy in a package that most automakers would describe today as a "four-door coupe".

There are no photos of the new Elantra's cabin, but we assume that the interior styling will be heavily influenced by the larger Sonata.

Hyundai has kept most technical details to itself, but the South Korean maker did reveal that the front-wheel drive Elantra / Avante will be offered with a new 1.6-liter Gamma Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engine and a 6-speed automatic transmission.

The four-cylinder unit is rated at 140-horsepower and 166Nm or 122 lb-ft of peak torque, and according to Hyundai, "it's about 10 percent more fuel efficient than its closest competitors."

Tech goodies will include HID (High Intensity Discharge) headlamps, LED combination lamps in the rear, heated rear seats, puddle lamps and a color TFT LCD information display nestled in the gauge cluster.

"The new Avante encompasses Hyundai's latest ambitions, featuring the best styling and performance in its class," Steve S. Yang, President & CEO of Hyundai's Global Business Division, said at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO) today. "We're confident that it will once again redefine the compact segment worldwide."

South Korean sales of the Avante are expected to start in the second half of 2010, with the rest of the world to follow either towards the end of the year or early 2011.

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VIDEO: 2011 Hyundai Accent / Verna Small Sedan

This here is the first video of Hyundai's all-new 2011 Accent sedan that made its world premiere at the Beijing Auto Show as the Verna. Sporting a new design that draws directly from the latest Sonata, the Accent / Verna also gets a new platform and a choice of 1.4-liter and 1.6-liter engines with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission.

According to the South Korean automaker, the Verna will first go on sale in China later this year with other markets including North America to follow in 2011. For more details on the 2011 Accent / Verna, click here to check out our previous article.

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Cabbie Drives 2,500 Miles from Northampton to Barcelona and Back to Save Stranded Holiday-Makers, Clocks up £4,600 / $S7,000 Fare!

Hyundai UK must be very proud of itself, because it dropped a press release about a Northampton cabbie, his son, and the Hyundai i800 van (or MPV) they drive to Barcelona in order to pick up some vacationers and their baggage. I guess this recent volcanic ash situation has been good for someone...

Garry Smith, the owner, explains, "We got the call at 9.30am on Tuesday and were on the road within an hour to collect four people. I took my son Ben so we could share the driving and booked the Eurotunnel crossing on route. When the passengers heard what car we were in they asked if we could take six people which because of the car, we were happy to do."

The 2,500 (UK) mile trip took two days and would have cost the stranded family £4,600.05 or US$7,050 (DAMN), except that both parties agreed on a fixed fee of £1,850 or US$2,830 (whew). That breaks down to around £300 per passenger. Why so much less?

Garry said it was because ""it wouldn't really be fair to charge them the meter rate". So decent people still do exist.

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New Hyundai Accent (Verna): Mini-Me Sonata Debuts at Beijing Motor Show

Hyundai staged the world-premiere of its all-new Verna small sedan, otherwise known as the Accent, at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show today. Not surprisingly, the new Accent looks like a 2011 Sonata that was left too long in the dryer, boasting the same "Fluidic Sculpture" design language in a much smaller package.

The 2011 Accent measures 4,340mm in length, 1,700mm in width, 1,460mm in height, and has a relatively long wheelbase of 2,570mm.Hyundai claims that the small sedan's overall cabin dimensions are bigger than any rivals and that it comes with a 454lt trunk that can "easily accommodate as many as four golf bags plus three small tote bags."

The China market Verna will be offered with a selection of two petrol engines. The base 1.4-liter inline-four produces 106HP and 135.4Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm, and comes with the choice of a five-speed manual gearbox or four-speed automatic transmision.

The larger displacement 1.6-liter that delivers 121HP and 155Nm of peak torque will be offered exclusively with a four-speed automatic transmission.

For the China market, the Verna will be built at the company's Beijing plant starting from July and will go on sale in the country in the second half of this year.

Hyundai plans to gradually introduce the Accent's replacement to other regions of the world including North America by early 2011.

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