At next week’s Chicago Auto Show, Hyundai will debut the new-generation 2018 Elantra GT compact hatch.
Even if the Koreans are being playfully secretive dropping only a few cropped photos and a video teaser without divulging any further details, we already know what their VW Golf and Toyota Corolla iM opponent will look like.
How do we know? Well, because it’s the North American specification version of the European i30 that was presented at the Paris motor show just a few months ago.
Hyundai did not communicate what kind of powertrain(s) will be offered in the new Elantra GT, but the fact that the interior photos show similar red trimmings and stitching (albeit, without the flat-bottom steering wheel) as on the 2017 Elantra Sport sedan, suggests that the latter’s 1.6-liter turbocharged four delivering 201hp (204 PS) and 195 pound-feet (264 Nm) of torque could be on offer. The base Elantra’s 147hp 2.0-liter four may be available as the standard engine. The outgoing Elantra GT is offered exclusively with a 173hp 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four in the U.S.
2018 Hyundai Elantra GT
Euro 2017 Hyundai i30
