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Videos: Hyundai spotlights Elantra and Sonata Hybrid for Super Bowl

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising

2011 Hyundai Elantra

Hyundai Elantra Super Bowl ad – Click above to watch the video after the jump

Hyundai will run three TV ads in this weekend’s Super Bowl, all supporting the 2011 Elantra and Sonata Hybrid.

The ads for the Elantra continue a theme begun two weeks earlier in the NFL Conference Championship games in which Hyundai is trying to show that the Elantra surpasses expectations most consumers have about compact cars. Both ads play to a theme of hypnosis and the idea that people need to “snap out of it” and get deprogrammed about their ideas of what a compact car can and should be. A third ad, which has already aired, shows a sheep driving an Elantra. The 40-mpg highway rating of the Elantra plays prominently, and may, indeed, be the most memorable bits of these ads… though the driving sheep is a pretty good image too.

The Hyundai Sonata Hybrid has a stronger idea behind it, putting across the message that we should never settle for the first thing to come along an indirect jab at Toyota Prius and perhaps Ford Fusion Hybrid.

Images of bikes with enormous front wheels circa the 19th century, a stoner carrying a stereo turntable around his neck, and a guy using a cellphone the size of a raccoon provides some decent visual jokes. This spot will probably get remembered better than the hypnosis Elantra ads.

Hyundai’s in-house ad agency, Innocean, created the ads. Follow the jump to see the videos and read Hyundai’s official press release.

[Source: Hyundai]

Continue reading Videos: Hyundai spotlights Elantra and Sonata Hybrid for Super Bowl

Videos: Hyundai spotlights Elantra and Sonata Hybrid for Super Bowl originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Hyundai may import Elantra from Korea to meet surging demand

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Sedan, Plants/Manufacturing, Hyundai

2011 Hyundai Elantra

2011 Hyundai Elantra – Click above for high-res image gallery

The rakish 2011 Hyundai Elantra hit North American dealerships late last year, priced from $14,830 (*excluding $720 for destination). In December 2010, Elantra sales totaled 13,096 units, up from 5,763 in 2009, and this high demand for the new Elantra may be higher than the Korean automaker had originally anticipated.

This increased demand has prompted Hyundai to consider importing some Elantras from Korea. Currently, Hyundai produces U.S.-market Elantras at its Montgomery, AL plant. This facility’s annual production capacity, which stands at 330,000 total units, may not be enough to satisfy America’s thirst for the stylish compact. Recently, Hyundai spokesman Frank Ahrens told Automotive News that:

If Elantra does what we think, hope it will do, it will mean we’ll have to export them from Korea. We’re pretty bullish on it, given the reviews it’s received so far and the price.

The 2011 Elantra is $1,445 cheaper than a base Chevrolet Cruze and $1,440 less than a base 2012 Ford Focus, which makes Hyundai’s model a pocketbook-friendly alternative to its main competitors in the compact class.

Gallery: 2011 Hyundai Elantra: First Drive

2011 Hyundai Elantra

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Report: Hyundai may import Elantra from Korea to meet surging demand originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: GM dares to compare Chevy Cruze to… the old Hyundai Elantra?

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet, GM, Hyundai

Chevrolet Cruze and Hyundai Elantra

Chevrolet dares to compare the new Cruze to an old Elantra – Click above to watch video after the jump

General Motors is using the phrase “Dare to Compare” as part of a campaign pitting its vehicles directly against competitors. In a new video you’ll find after the break, the Chevrolet Cruze lines up against the Hyundai Elantra… the now-outdated 2010 Hyundai Elantra.

While the Cruze 1LT (why not the base LS?) indeed performs quite well against the previous-generation, base-model Hyundai sedan, we would prefer to see it go wheel-to-wheel with the 2011 Elantra. Apples to apples and all that, right? As it stands, Chevrolet has dared to compare itself to an older version of a car that has since improved greatly. Hardly seems like a fair fight…

For those wondering about the dollars and cents, the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze 1LT starts at $18,175 (the base Cruze LS starts at $16,275). By way of comparison, the base 2011 Hyundai Elantra GLS starts at $14,830 and the 2010 model started at $14,145.

It’s not that the Cruze isn’t a fine car… but ya know, the new 2011 Cruze is quite a bit better than a lot of older cars… including the Cobalt this Elantra once competed with. Click past the jump for the clip.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: GM dares to compare Chevy Cruze to… the old Hyundai Elantra?

Video: GM dares to compare Chevy Cruze to… the old Hyundai Elantra? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Hyundai Elantra configurator hits the web

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Hyundai

Hyundai Elantra Configurator

2011 Hyundai Elantra configurator – Click above for high-res image gallery

Have you been itching to build your 2011 Hyundai Elantra? Scratch away, because the Elantra configurator is now up and running. We went through and built one ourselves… our fully-spec’d black-on-black 2011 Elantra Limited will only cost us $22,830, not too shabby since that includes the Premium Package, carpeted floor mats and an iPod cable.

After spending some time with the car, we opted for the surprisingly fun automatic transmission instead of the manual gearbox. We know that might be sacrilege to some, but the auto makes for a more enjoyable vehicle. How would you spec your new Hyundai Elantra? Sound off in the comments. Thanks for the heads up, Matchbox1966!

Gallery: 2011 Hyundai Elantra: First Drive

2011 Hyundai Elantra

2011 Hyundai Elantra configurator hits the web originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 18 Dec 2010 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2013 Hyundai Elantra Touring going five-door, leaving the wagon train behind

Filed under: Budget, Wagon, Hatchback, Hyundai

2011 Hyundai Elantra

2011 Hyundai Elantra – Click above for high-res image gallery

Fear not, hatchback fans. According to Hyundai CEO John Krafcik, the next-generation Hyundai Elantra Touring will debut in late 2012 as a 2013 model. Krafcik tells Autoblog that while the Elantra sedan is styled specifically for the American market, the Elantra Touring is being penned with European customers in mind. The company sells a long-roof version of the Elantra in the old country under the i30 banner, but from what we understand, American buyers will get a taste of the next-generation vehicle in about two years.

“We launched the Elantra touring a couple of years after we launched the Elantra and we’re going to have the same model cycle for Elantra Touring here,” Krafcik said. “We’re going to get the next-generation i30 here in the U.S. market in a couple of years.”

But don’t expect the vehicle to share too much DNA with the old long-roof Elantra. Krafcik tells AB that the new Touring will be significantly different from the model on sale right now: “It’s a great design. The Elantra Touring design actually came out of our California studio. We’re going to go with the shorter five-door hatchback bodystyle instead of the larger wagon style we have now.”

That means that when it debuts, the 2013 Elantra Touring will be squaring off against the likes 2012 Ford Focus and Mazda3 in a big way. While no one at Hyundai was willing to say exactly how much fuel economy we can plan on seeing from the five-door Elantra, we’d be surprised to see the figures slip much below the 29 mpg city and 40 mpg highway of the sedan.

Gallery: 2011 Hyundai Elantra: First Drive

2011 Hyundai Elantra

2013 Hyundai Elantra Touring going five-door, leaving the wagon train behind originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2011 Hyundai Elantra

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Hyundai, First Drive

Korean compact is a no-gimmicks eco-warrior

2011 Hyundai Elantra

2011 Hyundai Elantra – Click above for high-res image gallery

Were we the betting type, we’d put money on looming CAFE standards as the single biggest issue to keep auto execs awake at night. Organizations from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to the California Air Resource Board and the Environmental Protection Agency have all made noise about increasing corporate average fuel economy standards to lofty figures that reside anywhere between 47 and 62 mpg in around 14 years – a blink of an eye in terms of product development. If you’ve been wondering why manufacturers continue to roll out a bevy of fuel-efficient, economical vehicles despite relatively stable fuel prices and luke-warm demand, wonder no more.

Hyundai, with its small-engined fleet of fuel-savvy bruisers, seems downright giddy at the news. The Korean manufacturer has announced that by the time 2025 rolls around, the company will have a corporate average fuel economy of 50 mpg. The groundwork for that dramatic increase is being laid right now with vehicles like the Sonata Hybrid and the most recent addition to the Hyundai stable, the 2011 Elantra.

The first-generation Elantra debuted four short years ago, but in meantime competition in the American small-car market has increased by leaps and bounds. Additions like the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and the upcoming 2012 Ford Focus have proven that domestic manufacturers are just as serious about producing compact, high-quality vehicles with excellent fuel economy as the long-reigning titans of the segment from Honda and Toyota. With its 40 mpg highway, stylish exterior and excellent drivetrain, the 2011 Hyundai Elantra is set to put the rest of the segment on notice.

Gallery: 2011 Hyundai Elantra: First Drive

2011 Hyundai Elantra

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Hyundai Elantra

First Drive: 2011 Hyundai Elantra originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Hyundai launches Save the Asterisks campaign for 40-mpg Elantra

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Videos, Hyundai, Humor

Save the Asterisks

2011 Hyundai Elantra gets 40 mpg, no asterisks – Click above to watch video after the break

Hyundai has noticed an alarming trend: the needless wasting of perfectly good asterisks on window stickers all over the country.

Save the Asterisks The Korean automaker notes that some competitors create a special trim level for certain models that’s designed specifically to score a great fuel mileage rating from the EPA, while the other volume trim levels return a few miles per gallon less across the board. Since Hyundai won’t name names, we’ll do it for them: Chevrolet Cruze (Eco) and Ford Fiesta (SFE). Every single version of the 2011 Elantra, however, will achieve 40 mpg, as Hyundai likes to keep reminding us. No asterisks required.

It also bears mentioning that starting with the month of November, 2010, Hyundai is the first automaker to specify the actual number of vehicles it sells that achieve or exceed the 40-mpg benchmark on its monthly sales report. For those keeping track, the figure from this past November was 192 vehicles – expect that number to rise dramatically in the coming months when the new Elantra goes on sale.

Great fuel economy is only one part of a much larger puzzle to marketplace success. Fortunately, we’ll have a First Drive report of the new 2011 Elantra to share in short order, so we’ll have a better understanding of what, if any, concessions were made to manage its laudable efficiency metrics. Stay tuned for that, and check out Hyundai’s Save the Asterisks video after the break.

Gallery: LA 2010: 2011 Hyundai Elantra

Live photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

[Source: Hyundai]

Continue reading Video: Hyundai launches Save the Asterisks campaign for 40-mpg Elantra

Video: Hyundai launches Save the Asterisks campaign for 40-mpg Elantra originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LA 2010: 2011 Hyundai Elantra offers 40 mpg from $14,830*

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Hyundai

2011 Hyundai Elantra

2011 Hyundai Elantra – Click above for high-res image gallery

The rakish new 2011 Hyundai Elantra hits dealerships in the coming months and will be priced from $14,830 (*excluding $720 for destination) for the base GLS model with a six-speed manual transmission. This represents a $645 price increase versus the 2010 Elantra, though the 2011 model is $1,445 cheaper than a base Chevrolet Cruze and $1,440 less than a base 2012 Ford Focus – the Hyundai’s two main competitors.

All Elantras come equipped with a new 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine from Hyundai producing 148 horsepower and 131 pound-feet of torque, and the six-speed row-it-yourself gearbox is only available on the bottom-end GLS model – a new six-speed automatic is standard with all other GLS and Limited Elantras. What’s more, all Elantras are able to achieve 29/40 miles per gallon (city/highway).

Opting for the GLS Popular Equipment package adds things like 16-inch steel wheels, air conditioning, cruise control and a telescopic steering wheel, and the higher-end GLS Preferred pack adds alloy wheels and Bluetooth. The Elantra Limited starts at $19,980, and nets you standard equipment like heated leather seats (both front and rear), a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, foglamps and a sunroof. All Elantras are even available with an optional seven-inch navigation system, premium audio system and push-button start (for Limited models).

Full pricing and details are available in Hyundai’s press release, after the jump.

Gallery: LA 2010: 2011 Hyundai Elantra

Gallery: 2011 Hyundai Elantra

2011 Hyundai Elantra

Continue reading LA 2010: 2011 Hyundai Elantra offers 40 mpg from $14,830*

LA 2010: 2011 Hyundai Elantra offers 40 mpg from $14,830* originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyundai moving Elantra production to Alabama

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Budget, Sedan, Plants/Manufacturing, Hyundai

2011 Hyundai Elantra sedan

2011 Hyundai Avante/Elantra – Click above for high-res image gallery

Hyundai is getting ready to launch its redesigned Elantra here in the United States. Not only will it sell that car here, it will also be built here as well. Slated to join its Sonata and Sante Fe siblings, the 2011 Hyundai Elantra will be built at the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama facility in Montgomery, Alabama.

Already on sale in South Korea, the redesigned Elantra will join a strong Hyundai lineup that aims to take a larger slice of the U.S. automotive vehicle sales pie. The design is attractive, the fuel-economy rating should be good, the interior will be feature packed and we expect the price to be just right.

According to CEO and President of Hyundai Motor America John Krafcik,

“Hyundai’s philosophy is to build our vehicles where we sell them, and with the addition of the Elantra to our U.S. production mix we now manufacture our three most popular models right here in the U.S.”

The North American-spec 2011 Hyundai Elantra is expected to make its North American debut at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show, and sales of the re-designed model are earmarked to begin early in 2011.

Gallery: 2011 Hyundai Avante / Elantra

[Source: Hyundai]

Continue reading Hyundai moving Elantra production to Alabama

Hyundai moving Elantra production to Alabama originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyundai confirms 2011 Elantra to arrive in U.S. by end of the year

Filed under: Sedan, Hyundai

2011 Hyundai Avante/Elantra – Click above for high-res image gallery

Hyundai’s all-new Avante compact sedan is officially on sale in South Korea as of today, and it’s coming to the U.S. market by the end of the year as the 2011 Elantra. The Avante debuted at the Busan show in Korea last spring and features a further evolution of the “fluidic sculpture’ look from the Sonata that Hyundai is calling “wind craft.” Whatever it’s called, this is a much more assertive design than the outgoing Elantra and should be a strong competitor to the Chevrolet Cruze and Ford Focus.

Overall length has been stretched by about one inch and the axles are now two inches further apart. Hyundai isn’t giving any specifications for overseas markets yet, but the Avante is propelled by a new direct-injected version of the company’s 1.6-liter Gamma inline-four. In KDM trim, it’s rated at 138 horsepower and 123 pound-feet of torque. Fuel consumption at home comes out 38.8 miles per gallon (U.S.) combined.

Gallery: 2011 Hyundai Avante / Elantra

[Source: Hyundai]

Continue reading Hyundai confirms 2011 Elantra to arrive in U.S. by end of the year

Hyundai confirms 2011 Elantra to arrive in U.S. by end of the year originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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