We knew Hyundai was preparing a successor to its North American Elantra Touring based on the freshly revealed in Europe i30 series, but we weren’t entirely sure if the Korean company would go down the same path offering an estate version or if it would opt for the hatchback model.
To explain, in Europe, the current generation of the Elantra Touring is sold as the i30 CW (or Estate in the UK), which is the station wagon version of the outgoing i30 series.
Our California scoopster, Alfred Hong, caught up with the replacement of the Elantra Touring, and as you can clearly see from these pictures, it is based on the five-door hatchback model and not the future estate.
We don’t know if Hyundai will retain the Touring moniker or introduce a new name for the hatchback model, but with the only possible exception of the tail lamp graphics, it’s the same car as the i30 hatchback that left VW CEO Martin Winterkorn extremely impressed with its quality (skeptics can read our previous post here or check out the video below).
When the VW Golf-sized model reaches European showrooms next spring, it will be offered with a choice of four engines, including 1.4-liter and 1.6-liter units in both gasoline and turbo diesel flavors, as well as a greener and more fuel-efficient variant bearing Hyundai’s ‘Blue’ nameplate.
All powerplants will be matched to a six-speed manual gearbox, while the 1.6-liter gasoline and diesel engines will be optionally available with a six-speed automatic transmission.
In North America, the i30’s Elantra twin will likely be fitted with the Veloster’s 1.6-liter GDI Gamma engine that delivers 138HP and 123 lb-ft of peak torque.
A big hat tip to Alfred for the scoop!
2013 HYUNDAI ELANTRA HATCHBACK SCOOP 
2012 HYUNDAI i30 
VIDEO
