Hyundai has launched the next-generation Elantra/Avante at the Busan Motor Show in South Korea.
It will be powered by Hyundai’s new 1.6L, four-cylinder Gamma GDI engine. It develops 138 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque in the new Avante. The engine sends power to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox.
The new Avante is the latest car to utilize Hyundai’s ‘fluidic sculpture’ design philosophy, and I think it’s very good looking.
As for the interior, no pictures have been released, and the only details we have been told is that it will have heated rear seats and a colour LCD information display in the gauge cluster. We’ll let you know when the interior is revealed.
Press Release
Hyundai Unveils All-New Avante at Busan Motor Show
– World-premier of new Avante compact, Hyundai’s global best-seller
– Featuring 1.6L Gamma GDI engine, 6-speed automatic
(Busan, Korea) Hyundai Motor Co. had its world-premier of the all-new Avante compact sedan, the company’s best-selling model worldwide, at the Busan International Motor Show 2010 today.
“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.”
With sportier and even more elegant lines than its predecessor, the new Avante – badged as Elantra in markets outside Korea – continues Hyundai’s ‘fluidic sculpture’ design philosophy.
Hyundai has applied its latest 1.6L Gamma Gasoline Direct Injection engine and a 6-speed automatic transmission to the front-wheel drive compact, the first time GDI and six-speed automatic have been featured on a compact sedan in Korea. The new Avante delivers a peak output of 140ps and maximum torque of 17.0kg·m. It is also about 10 percent more fuel efficient than its closest competitors, thanks to GDI, the six speed automatic and other fuel economy enhancements.
The new Avante will delight and surprise with a raft of other advanced features not found on other compacts, including 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.
Under the Avante/Elantra badge, Hyundai has sold over 6 million units worldwide since the car’s launch in 1990. Hyundai will begin sales of the all-new Avante in the second half of 2010 in Korea.
Hyundai’s New 1.6L Gamma GDI Engine
Hyundai displayed its all-new 1.6L Gamma GDI engine in Busan today, which it first showed in Beijing auto show last week. It is the smallest member of the Hyundai gasoline engine family to benefit from the application of Gasoline Direct Injection technology. With the help of GDI, this four-cylinder powermill develops 140ps, an approximately 13 percent improvement over a conventional 1.6L Gamma fed by MPI. GDI technology doesn’t only boost power output: It also improves fuel economy while lowering emissions. The new Gamma also features Dual Continuously Variable Valve Timing, a Variable Induction System and exotic anti-friction coatings such as CrN Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) coating and Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) coating.
At a separate commercial vehicle booth, Hyundai displayed a hydrogen fuel-cell electric bus and a Universe Limousine luxury coach, among other displays.
Source: Hyundai and Autoblog