Spy Shots: 2011 Hyundai Elantra

Wow, the Cruze will have some competition in the interior design dept.

Wow!

Look at the detailing on that steering wheel alone - thumb rests, leather wrap, controls...wow.

Also, I spy a 6-speed manual, something that neither the current Elantra doesn't have, but which the top-line Forte does have.

I only hope 2 things: 1) that the final product doesn't look like yet another Honda Civic knockoff (that design's on its way out, which I think is worth noting) and 2) that Hyundai didn't put its characteristic & cheap looking squiggle down the side.

Looks like Hyundai is going to have a stellar lineup top Equus to Elantra.

Man, Hyundai is really on a roll. If it drives like the Mazda 3, this thing will be fantastic.

I guess they'll finally stop using the ancient (but surprisingly sprightly and effecient) Beta engine and upgrade to their newer engine. Looks pretty good!

Sure doesnt look like a knocknoff this time, it looks fantastic with its 4-door coupe style. The interior does look top notch and the steering wheel buttons seem positioned wisely. I hope the engine is as good as what the car looks like so far but having a 7000 rpm redline in a budget car seems like a good idea.

"this cabin looks to be a step ahead of the Kia Forte's."

Step ahead in what--gaudy and overstyled?

Rest assured that with their fuel economy goals, the Beta is on its way out fleet-wide. This is certain to get the Theta II and I'd be willing to bet that even the Soul will get a Theta in a year or two.

@dpodloch: what does the rpm redline have anything to do with a budget car? or anything for that matter?

@acbayard- really nothing, just makes me feel a bit better the higher it is, non of my cars can touch that. lol

holy crap look at the detailing down the center stack... and the shifter looks like it came straight from a mazda! Nice!

I think thats an Accent Sedan, but thats me seeing Hyundais Logical Product placement date for the Accent as 2011.

I do hear some rumors stating that the Elantra will be replaced a year earlier than normal, as the Elantra is normally scheduled to be replaced in 2012.

Remember the Elantra, Accent, and Veloster will share the same platform for the next gen models. The Accent and Elantra right now are on different small car platforms.

I see some Honda Civic in A pillar/hood intersection. I'll withhold judgment until you can actually see the car.

^ Oh, God!

jaimeson, I'm sure the haters on Autoblog will be able to come up with something better. No more true, mind you.

I don't mind the actual design as its quite attractive but the "metal" strips are way overdone. Hyundai, keep the design the same but loose 40% of that "metal" trim. All that metal trim reminds of the new Cadillac SRX dash.

Hyundai had that Dash design before the SRX, so who's the Copiers?

This is a Budget Luxury Sedan. If it is the Elantra its main competitors will be the Chrysler Sebring, the Comming Buick Small Car, Mercury Milan. Remember, Hyundai is a budget "Upmarket" Company now. Not a Lexus Competitor just yet, but we keep Chrysler up at night, trust me as the greatest trade ins for Sonatas and Elantras are Sebrings, and the greatest trade ins for Genesises are Chrysler 300Cs.

As you can see with this car, the Luxury trimmings are now starting to trickle down to the small cars even more. KIA is the budget Honda/Mazda Company now. The Accent will be a MINI Clubman Competitor.

Hyundais always had 8000+ RPMs for years dpodloch. Where have you been at, under a rock in 1985 where compacts did 17 seconds to 60 and had 75HP?

Most of these little 4 Cylinder cars made today can outperform any V6 from the mid 80s, and any V8 from the early 80s and earlier. I bet an 07 KIA Rio with just 110 HP can beat an 80s Camaro easy. Power deilvery has changed, trust me.

"Hyundai had that Dash design before the SRX, so who's the Copiers? "

SRX dash doesnt even have much metal trim.

Unfortunately for Hyundai its going to take another 10 years to convince brainwashed civic/corolla owners to try anything from another brand. the Corolla is one of the worst compacts on the market and it still outsells everything else. Toyota/Honda owners have been conditioned to believe that the only things that count when buying a car are reputation and resale. Forget about styling, price, handling, value, etc.

I don't know about ten years. For one thing, Hyundai resale values have been rising recently. So has fuel economy, always an important thing in this class. And the current Elantra bests both the Civic and Corolla in Consumer Reports reliability survey. So not only should that keep Hyundai resale values rising, but to some degree drag down Honda and Toyota values.

Hyundaismoke: All your blowing is smoke and hot air cause most of your stuff is bs.

If all Hyundais have 8000rpm redlines since 85 why does my 2006 Elantra Hatch have a 6500rpm redline/fuel cut-off.

As for power, while it was class leader from 01-06 in power and could just edge out my friend's 94 v6 Camaro it is not a rocket like you make it out to be.

And Chrysler has been on its way out for several years now, It was never competition for Hyundai. Hyundai has always targeted Japan and will continue to do so.

To say that Chrysler is no competition to Hyundai is just silly. They both compete in the lower-priced, value part of the market and will continue to for the near future. While Hyundai may be targeting Japan, their biggest conquest numbers are coming from the US automakers. They even noted when they first passed Dodge. While they'd certainly be uneasy to trumpet it under current conditions, right now their market gains are coming mostly from Detroit. Of course, Toyota is fourth on the list and they're making gains on the Japanese overall, but Chrysler is certainly in their site, too.

I said that Chrysler and Buick are now Hyundai's direct competition. Ironic as we used share parts with Chrysler back in the day.

I wasnt talking about redlines, but you were jedirye.

Look an the Elantra now, and look at the Corolla. The Corolla is an absolute ripoff. The Current Gen Elantra spanks the Toyota in fit and finish.

This Spyshot is light years above the current Elantra, the Corolla doesnt have a chance. The Civic Redesign spy shots and renderings are horrible, and Id argue that the 2011 Civic will be the worst design in 20 years out of any make.

The Forte Competes with Corolla and Civic now. The Elantra in most trims costs more than a Corolla or Civic, but the fit and finish are worth it.

The Forte is the car to get butts in seats in the C-Segment for Hyundia KIA. The Elantra is the affordable yet more refined upmarket and fuel efficient version. As Hyundais will be more fuel efficient than KIA's.

KIAs will have more power, be cheaper, and more racy than Hyundais in terms of styling.

What was this comment then:
"Hyundais always had 8000+ RPMs for years dpodloch. Where have you been at, under a rock in 1985 where compacts did 17 seconds to 60 and had 75HP?"

You dont get 8000rpms out of these engines unless u've gotten a tune and done some work on the cams and crank. Otherwise all you will get stock is 6500rpms.

For competition if you take a look at Hyundai's 2009 competitive car Ad Planner, you will see Toyota at the top of most of the lists. Now naturally, Detroit will see a loss because their cars have the least to offer at this time. So as Hyundai targets Toyota, they are also going to wind up taking market share from Detroit.

As for the 07-09 Elantra vs Carolla. The Elantra used the ugly bubbly styling of the 03 Carolla. The Elantra may have better fit n finish but it still looks horrible. At least with this 2011 spy shot looks like the looks will improve.

The Corolla styling is hardly changed from the 03 version. That was a very lazy redesign. The Japanese have gotten very complacent. Toyota is making some GM mistakes here. Lazy Redesigns only intended to cater to customer loyality.

KIA Forte with time will start to take marketshare from Toyota and Honda, youll see.

The Elantra is going to be made to get people to rethink (Not pass on) the Lexus IS in world of uncertain gas prices. Lexus IS is relatively affordable, and I think they would look at a lower cost Korean Alternative if it gets better MPG, has similar or superior room, and a nicely appointed interior.

The Elantra Redesign will be enough to keep Buick up at night with the Astra and its chronic transmission problems. Detroit makes some luxury cars with piss poor reliablity, yet with affordable prices that Hyundai can compete with.

Hyundai will take a lot of Buick, Merucy, Lincoln, and Chrysler marketshare. The Americans may make high initial quality studies, but the same cars have horrid 3 year reliablity histories after 3 years of ownership in the long term, while a comparable Hyundai has a stellar reliablity history during that period.

No one will cross shop an Elantra with an IS. You need to lay off the smoke dude. The IS is a midsized RWD sport luxury sedan offering 2.5 and 3.5 V6s and a 5.0V8. While the Elantra is a FWD economy sedan with a 2.0i4 and MAYBE a 2.4i4. The 2011 Elantra might (and i think should) take on the Mazda 3 and Jetta.

From what I can see, I like this car but it's obviously getting bigger and heavier. The Accent will have to move into the Elantra's slot and they'll have to bring over the Getz to position into the bottom spot. Of course, it's not a bad thing to have more choices.

Remember that this specimen is highly camouflaged so who knows what it will look like when uncovered. Even the interior has all kinds of black tape covering the dash.

I see this as a good competitor to the Civic, Corolla, Focus, and Sentra.

jedirye, what are YOU smoking? The IS250/350/F is a classified as a SUB-COMPACT with less interior space than a Hyundai Accent while the Elantra is actually classified as a MID-SIZE car. Yes they do not compete but the Elantra could possibily compete with the new HS250 as they will most likely be around the same size. Also it is very clear that they are taking this car upmarket.

Chrysler competition for Hyundai? Are you looking for a job at the comedy club, because that is funny. Playing in the same market and having product that equals or rivals the competition are two different things. Chrysler is a budget brand and its cheap, poorly made, poorly designed, lousy driving, unreliable product bears that out. Hyundai may be a budget brand but these days they are selling anything but cheap, poorly made, poorly designed, unreliable vehicles. Hyundai's newer product line is looking even more amazing and will further distance itself from the garbage sold by Chrysler.

There might have been a time where Hyundai would have wanted to emulate Chrysler (like 25 years ago), but now it would be a good idea for Chrysler to try and emulate Hyundai if they want any chance of being taken seriously as a car company.