Hyundai plans to officially unveil its next-generation Elantra during a media preview in Los Angeles next week. But the automaker already is offering a good look at what’s coming thanks to a news release, and teaser video and still images.
Put them all together and they make clear that the Korean carmaker wants to take the 2021 Hyundai Elantra up a big notch, both in terms of design and features.
“The upcoming seventh-generation Elantra showcases an edgy and aggressive look based on parametric shapes and textures, which reflects Hyundai’s new design identity,” the automaker said.
(Hyundai offers a “Prophecy” for its future with sleek show car.)
From a styling standpoint, the new Elantra clearly adopts the new “language” previewed by the Prophecy, the all-electric concept car that was supposed to debut at the 2020 Geneva International Motor Show. Like a number of other manufacturers, Hyundai decided to stage a video preview after the Swiss show was cancelled because of worries about the coronavirus epidemic.
There are some sharp contrasts in the Elantra design, the new sedan adopting a more fastback roofline than the current model – Hyundai referring to the new model as a “four-door coupe.”
But that curvaceous element is offset by a crisp, rising accent line running between the two wheel wells.
Up front, there is a diamond-pattern grille reminiscent of another recent Hyundai prototype, the Vision T Concept. In back, meanwhile, there are sharply angular taillights linked by a cross-car light bar.
“The all-new 2021 Elantra’s design accentuates its progressive and exotic character through Parametric Dynamics,” Hyundai said in its news release. “Cutting edge engineering solutions and design innovations actualized the polyhedral appearance.
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“Essentially, advanced digital design technology brought the Parametric Dynamics design language to life. Having three lines meet at one point is the main element of Parametric Dynamics. This formation is a daring challenge, which has been avoided in car design, marking Elantra’s disrupter-spirit.”
Inside, the new compact sedan adopts what the automaker is calling an “Immersive Cocoon” design theme, The teaser image accents contrasting black and white elements, with metallic grey trim elements. There also appears to be a new, larger infotainment screen.
We hope to get a good look up close and personal when the 2021 Hyundai Elantra makes its first media appearance at the Lots Studio in Los Angeles on Tuesday, March 17. There are concerns, however, that the event could be cancelled or postponed due to the coronavirus epidemic. Next month’s New York International Auto Show, where the compact sedan was expected to greet the public for the first time, has been postponed until August.
Even the sales launch of the new Elantra could be in jeopardy, Korean automakers hammered especially hard by the epidemic because their factories are particularly dependent upon Chinese-made parts. China’s auto industry all but shut down last month due to the spread of the coronavirus, and its plants are only slowly beginning to ramp operations back up.
But there is little doubt that Elantra is a critical model for Hyundai, even with the ongoing shift from sedans to SUVs and CUVs.
(Hyundai unveils new Sonata hybrid at Chicago Auto Show.)
While the automaker made no mention in the news release about creature comforts and other features, it is widely expected that the 2021 Elantra will offer more new technology, particularly in terms of advanced safety gear. Separately, expect to see a mix of powertrains, including a likely hybrid version.
