Shanghai Auto Show: Hyundai Elantra Puts on a New Face for China

The Hyundai Group is now pointing its arrows to the world’s biggest auto market with the unveiling of two new models for China at this week’s 2011 Shanghai Auto Show, the Elantra Yuedong compact sedan and the mid-size Azera, which is badged as Grandeur in some markets.

If the Elantra Yuedong looks familiar, that’s because it is a facelifted version of the fourth generation model sold in the States until 2010. The most prominent change on the outside concerns the revised front that draws on the Azera’s styling.

According to Hyundai, the interior has also been upgraded with higher quality materials and new convenience and safety features such as a smart key / button start, front side airbag, Motor Driven Power Steering (MDPS), Navigation, USB2.0 port and eco-driving guide system.

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Hyundai Preparing New Elantra Coupe, Azera and Genesis R-Spec with 429HP V8

After registering record sales in 2010, Hyundai seems committed to an all-out offensive with the company reportedly planning to launch a coupe version of the 2011 Elantra and the new Azera sedan in the U.S. within the next year or so. According to an Autoweek report, the news was broken at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention in San Francisco, where the Korean automaker also showed its dealers a photo of the upcoming coupe.

“They showed us a photo of it and it's gorgeous,” said Doug Fox, a Hyundai dealer from Ann Arbor, Michigan. “We weren't expecting that.”

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Hyundai Rolls Out 2012 Grandeur / Azera in Korea, Releases Video Showing the Car's Evolution from 1986

Hyundai has been advertising the all-new generation of its Grandeur for quite some time now, but today, the automaker officially launched the large sedan in its home market. The new Grandeur, which will be badged as the 2012 Azera in the States, arrives in the Korean market six years after its predecessor’s launch in May 2005.

Codenamed HG, the 2012 Grandeur is result of three-and-a-half years and 450 billion won (about US$415 million) of research, development and testing. Positioned between the Sonata and the Genesis sedan, the new Grandeur measures 4,910mm (193.3") long, 1,860mm (73.2") wide and 1,470mm (57.9") tall. It rides on a 2,845mm-long (112") wheelbase, which is 65mm (2.6") longer than the outgoing model.

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