The 2016 Hyundai Elantra will be launched on August 23, the pre-orders of which have commenced at dealerships across India. The new-generation saloon which was unveiled at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, and later in India at the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo, will be produced at Hyundai’s Chennai manufacturing plant. Although the details of the car like the trim and equipment have not been revealed yet, expect the petrol variant of the 2016 Hyundai Elantra to be powered by a 2.0-litre 146.9bhp MPi engine, whereas the diesel variant to get the 1.6-litre 134bhp CRDi engine. There is also a possibility of a turbo-petrol variant to be added, but at a later date.
On the outside, the new Elantra seems a lot more grown up and sports sharper solid lines to the outgoing car’s fluidic lines. The interior has a familiar steering and instrument cluster if you’ve owned any of the modern hyundais, but what is new is the large 7.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system on the centre console. Also, since the old one will soon be phased out to make way for the new generation medel, discounts are high on it to exhaust stock.
The 2016 replacement saloon will be priced a bit higher than the current one and will take on the likes of Toyota Corolla Altis, the Skoda Octavia, Volkswagen Jetta and the ageing Chevrolet Cruze. This segment is a very slow selling one, but with Hyundai improving its brand image as a premium carmaker, cars like the Elantra and Tuscon could taste success.