Globally both Civic and Corolla compete with each other in the compact car category. Although there are many other cars in the same segment, the success story is well known for Corolla and Civic and generation after generation. When it comes to the automobile sector in Pakistan, buyers had not many options until recently. For decades Corolla and Civic have dominated the sedan segment as far as the locally assembled vehicles. Both models have made their monopoly; however, it seems after many years, buyers are going to have another option in the shape of theHyundai Elantra.
Elantra is a direct rival to Civic and Corolla in many countries across the globe. While we know it as Elantra, but in its hometown Korea and some other limited markets, it is known as Avante.
Hyundai Elantra Generation in Pakistan:
Nishat / Pakistan domestic market will receive a6th generationwhich arrived in overseas markets as the model year 2016 or 17 depending upon the region. Later for the model year 2019 onward, it got a facelift which received a lot ofcriticismand Hyundai started working on the7th generationmuch faster for replacement. PKDM Elantra is afacelift 6th generation.
Globally, Hyundai has introduced the 7th generation Elantra, and it is now going for sale in many countries and replacing the 6th. I personallydon’t expect a 7th generationvery soon in the local market. Regardless of how good the Elantra is, globally, Corolla and Civic are benchmark products, especially the Civic. Again this doesn’t apply to our market for various reasons, likequality and refinementas well as the features and equipment. Anyways, here in this article, we will go over what we know so far about the highly anticipated Elantra. ”
Variants:
At launch it is believed that only ONE variant will be available as “ GLS “. It will be fully loaded full option version. Hyundai will add more variants in future.
Dimensions:
As of dimensions; Elantra is 4620mm long, 1800mm wide while 1450mm in height. For our general understating the footprint, in comparison the current Corolla in Pakistan is 4620mm long, 1775mm wide and 1475mm in height while the Civic 4630mm long, 1799mm wide and 1433mm high.
Hyundai official specification didn’t release the ground clearance But it is expected to be around 150mm [ as seen on overseas model ]. PKDM Civic X is 153mm.
Elantra will come with 50 liters of fuel tank and has a trunk capacity of 407 Liters.
Exterior:
There will be body color bumpers and side mirrors , full tetra LED headlights and LED taillights. Shark-fin-antenna will also be available. Chrome door handles with welcome lights, chrome front grill, LED DRL will also be standard equipment. Elantra exterior color options are ; Polar white, Silver Metallic, Graphite Gray , Black Diamond, teal Blue, Fiery Red.
Engine:
At launch only one engine and a Euro II compliant 2.0L MPI NA engine . This is the same engine which is offered in PKDM Tucson [ PKDM Sportage as well ]. Power goes to front wheels with performance figures of 154HP@6200 and 195NM of torque @ 4500.
The other possible engine i PK assembled Elantra in FUTURE might be a 1.6L NA , which is rated at 126hp @3600 RPM. The top torque is 155NM@ 4850RPM. At this time it’s availability is not yet known. Yes, you will keep on hearing from Hyundai Nishat marketing teams about the ” LARGEST,BIGGEST ENGINE ” in the segment BUT for clarity , Civic Turbo will remain the most powerful local assembled sedan.
Mechanicals:
As of transmission, there will be 6 speed automatic transmission with Eco, Sport, Smart and Normal drive mode select.
PKDM Elantra will come standard with ABS. DISC on all 4 wheels . McPherson strut as front suspension while torsion beam axle on the rear. This will make Civic the only local assembled sedan with multilink rear suspension. There will be 205/55/R16 Alloy wheels. The spare wheel will also be a full size alloy. Electric power steering will be standard with tilt and telescopic function.
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NO Electronic parking brake and NO Brake hold function .There will be conventional lever type handbrake.
Keep in mind this generation of Elantra was actually not offered with these functionalities so, this is not something Hyundai skipped in Pakistan.
Equipment:
Steering wheel audio controls + voice command.
Leather steering wheel.
Central Locking with speed sensing door lock.
Smart trunk lid opener.
Remote fuel lid opener.
Keyless Entry. Push button start with immobilizer.
Hi-Fabric seating surfaces and same material for the door panels.
Sunroof, sun visor with vanity lights
Manual Day & Night rear view mirror [ non auto ]
60:40 split rear seats with armrest & cup holders.
8-way power driver seat with lumbar support.
4.2” TFT display in instrumental panel with Optitron meter+ Digital speedometer[ this is similar to what you have in Tucson ]
7” touch screen infotainment system with USB, AUX. [ Smart phone apple car paly + android auto capability need confirmation ]
6 speakers
Wireless charger.
Dual zone climate control with rear AC vents.
Home coming & leaving headlight delay On & off.
Sunglasses holder, center console, dome & map lights.
Power side view windows.
Rain sensing wipers with auto defogger.
Cruise control
Safety:
Electronic stability control
2 front airbags will be standard. [ unfortunately NO side curtain airbags ]
Traction control
Hill start assist,
Electronic Brake-force Distribution / EBD
Backup camera with dynamic guidelines.
ISOFIX Child Seat Anchors.
Sorry NO parking sensors.
Price:
The official price of Hyundai Elantra is Rs4,049,000. However, as we said earlier, Hyundai should know that any number above 4 Million can be risky for Elantra, as the 4 to 5 Million bracket is getting populated with crossovers and buyers looking for a new sedan, are for sure cross-shopping these crossovers. This is a global phenomenon as buyers are more attracted towards crossovers than sedans. Civic, Corolla are although direct rivals/ competitors, these crossovers are a bigger threat.
Although PK Elantra will carry the label of “OLDER MODEL” , it will add a new option to buyer in the segment. The 11th generation Civic is still 18 months down the road and don’t expect a new Civic in Pakistan before 2022 in Asian / RHD market , although the 11th generation USDM Civic launch is just couple of months away. As of Corolla, Pakistani should have got the 12th generation Corolla by now [ Pakistan is late ] instead we have started seeing a 11th generation FAKE-LIFT Corolla X Package on our roads . Maybe Toyota Indus is waiting for Hyundai-Nishat to spill the beans / launch Elantra and evaluate how the market reacts to it and then develop/ release the 12th generation Corolla accordingly. Rumors are 12 generation Corolla in Pakistan is less than a year away.
As discussed earlier and many times, I hope Nishat wins buyers hearts and soul this time with the pricing strategy as well as features and equipment in their upcoming locally produced Elantra. They don’t mess up the way they did with Tucson like average 8 months of delivery time. Also its extremely important , Hyundai Nishat make sure that unethical business practice of ” PREMIUM ” does not wake up like always and basically , the dealership mafia is also involved actively and real genuine customers are always on receiving end. Nishat MUST improve their assembly line production numbers for minimum wait time.
We will know and comment about the built quality once the thing lands at showrooms.
STAY TUNED for pricing details.
