Hyundai’s next Elantra has just been spotted on the road in the US. The eighth-generation compact sedan is expected to be all-new, and it’s showing it even with all of this camouflage. CarBuzz spy photographers caught an Elantra prototype in public, giving us our first look at the forthcoming model. Even the new roofline is quite different, and it appears there will be no tradeoff of interior space for style. Fortunately, it also looks like Hyundai won’t be going extreme with this new model like its partner Kia has with the latest and very oddball K4 sedan.
- Base Trim Engine
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Nu PE ICE
- Base Trim Transmission
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CVT
- Base Trim Drivetrain
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Front-Wheel Drive
Elantra Continues To Push Cutting-Edge Design
It’s very covered up, but it also looks very production-ready. There are no oddball fake lights at the front or rear of this Elantra that we often see on early prototypes. Instead, we can see a high-mounted LED running light and a lower-mounted headlight. It’s quite different from the current Elantra, which has a cross-body LED element and a more traditional headlight layout.
We can also see that the new Elantra will have a sharp cut line in the hood. But while that line runs along the top of the fender on the current Elantra, it will overlap onto the side on this car. A much larger hood surface that runs right up to the A-Pillar is a big change over the current car’s design where the pillar runs into the hood and fender.
Unfortunately, some big blocks of padding stop us from seeing more of the look of the new hood. Likewise, the wrap padding disguises most of the nose.
In profile, the new Elantra is much flatter than before. The last few generations have had rooflines arching from the base of the windshield to the trunk in one long curve. This one flattens out at the top of the windshield and stays flat until the rear corner of the back doors. That should be good for rear seat passenger space for those who still use their sedans for moving people.
At the very back, we can see even less. The parking sensors are exposed and you can vaguely see the taillight, but that’s about all. We can confirm that it will have a proper trunk lid, not a hatch, because of how the zippers on the wrap align.
Expect More Tech For New Elantra
There have been other details trickling out about the new Elantra, specifically the N performance version. The last batch of rumors we heard suggested that a new N trim wasn’t confirmed, and it still isn’t confirmed. But the new N is highly likely and could pack a 2.5-liter turbo-four instead of the current 2.0-liter engine. That may not actually mean more power, though. Strict emissions in Europe might keep things on the mellow side despite having more displacement.
A next-gen Elantra is also a likely candidate for Hyundai’s new Pleos Connect software. That’s Hyundai’s software-defined vehicle system that will allow Hyundai to add its own app store and give the car a phone-like UI. Hyundai also plans to launch Level 2+ autonomous driving sometime in 2027. Similar to GM and Ford’s systems, this would allow hands-off driving in certain situations.
Stay tuned for more, but don’t expect a production model to be revealed until late next year.
