Today's Avante Is Tomorrow's Elantra
Published: July 17th, 2010
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Our Korean contributor Walter Foreman hipped us to this, one of the first videos of the 2012 Hyundai Elantra taking to the streets [via DaumTV]. Of course, in Korean spec it’s called the Avante, but when it finally gets sold stateside, it’s sure to be known as the “baby Sonata.” Or perhaps “that car that makes the Cruze look so deathly boring by comparison.” Or possibly, “a precisely scaled execution of Hyundai’s fluidic sculpture design language.” Or, if Hyundai’s really successful over the next year or so, people will refer to it as “just the new Hyundai.” It’s amazing how much change people can become accustomed to.
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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Looks pretty sleek, though I'm waiting for the inevitable day when the front light cluster sweeps so far back it just merges with the windshield.
I hate when people make this uneducated statement. "Unlike those foreigners, like Toyota Camry, which is built in the USA. And the Toyota Avalon, which is built in the USA. And the Toyota Solara, which is built in the USA. And the Toyota Venza, which is built in the USA. And the Toyota Sequoia, which is built in the USA. And the Toyota Sienna, which is built in the USA. And the Toyota Highlander, which is built in the USA. And the Toyota Tundra, which is built in the USA. And the Honda Civic, which is built in the USA. And the Honda CR-V, which is built in the USA. And the Honda Element, which is built in the USA. And the Honda Odyssey, which is built in the USA. And the Honda Pilot, which is built in the USA. And the Honda Ridgeline, which is built in the USA. And the Honda Accord, which is built in the USA. And the Acura TL, which is built in the USA. And the Acura RDX, which is built in the USA. And the Nissan Rogue, which is built in the USA. And the Nissan Altima, which is built in the USA. And the Nissan Maxima, which is built in the USA. And the Nissan Xterra, which is built in the USA. And the Nissan Pathfinder, which is built in the USA. And the Nissan Armada, which is built in the USA. And the Nissan Frontier, which is built in the USA. And the Nissan Titan, which is built in the USA. And the BMW X5, which is built i the USA. And the BMW X6, which is built in the USA. And the Mercedes-Benz M-class, which is built in the USA. And the Mercedes-Benz R-Class, which is built in the USA. And the Mercedes-Benz GL-class, which is built in the USA. And the Mazda 6, which is built in the USA. And the Mitsubishi Galant, which is built in the USA. And the Mitsubishi Endeavor, which is built in the USA. And the Mitsubishi Eclipse, which is built in the USA." Here goes, in a purely economic sense, the money goes home. Meaning, when GM makes a car, the money goes to the stock holders, who are mostly American. When Toyota makes a car, I have no idea who makes the money because I haven't seen the breakdown of stock holders, but I'm guessing its much less than half American. However, I would like to point out that whatever nationality has a majority of stock benefits the most. For example, if Americans bought a majority of Toyota stock, Toyota becomes an American company headquartered in Japan. It's not about where its based, its about who owns it. They make the money on it. Also, before you say "Yeah but Toyota built a factory in my back yard and they gave me a job and fed my puppy and put my kids through college!" please realize that while they might have, they are doing it as a PR move unless you're in design or a white collar job. Manufacturing in the USA by car companies really is stupid. Americans simply out-priced themselves to do work like that. Americans now primarily do skilled labor jobs, service jobs, or have white collar jobs simply because it doesn't take a large degree of formal education to work in manufacturing. The jobs that Toyota, Honda, and Nissan have in America are simply so they can say it was made here. They could never make the Tundra in Mexico and pass it off as an "American" truck. It's all PR, they don't really care about the local economy or the US, it just happens to cost less to make the truck in Texas than to suffer worse sales because its really un-American in a very patriotic segment. What if GM moved Corvette production from Bowling Green? Suddenly its not nearly as American as it claims to be, and sales here fall fast. Car companies only build here to produce the image that people on this thread reflect. In other words, the money runs home to the stockholders, and building cars in the US is strictly for PR, its not like Toyota or GM truly care about you and your little town. It's all about dividends.
Boring no, but I don't think that it is attractive either. Besides, boring sells.
Agree, its too busy for me. I prefer a more conservative design.... guess thats why I bought a Jetta.