This new generation keeps the Elantra’s role as a sharply styled compact sedan but changes much of its visual language. The design is more angular, the cabin has fewer buttons, and the infotainment system now plays a more central role.
The U.S.-market Elantra has not yet been fully detailed, but the Korean-market Avante previews what American buyers are expected to receive. The South Korean model will go on sale later this year, while the Elantra is likely to reach the United States in 2027.
A More Angular Exterior Design
The car made its public appearance at the 2026 Busan auto show in Busan, South Korea. Hyundai unveiled the home-market Avante only days after the model was spotted testing in Austria and California.
The 2027 Elantra adopts a front end that is visibly different from the current model. Hyundai replaced the wide, sweeping grille with a more angular shape, giving the car a stronger and sharper lower face.
The headlights have also changed. They are now thin vertical elements that follow the bodywork rather than spreading widely across the front. The result gives the sedan a more technical appearance, one that Car and Driver described as fitting easily on a sci-fi movie set.
Along the sides, Hyundai removed the Z-shaped creases used on the outgoing Elantra. In their place are straighter lines and more defined front and rear fenders. The black trim around the B-pillar helps the front and rear side windows blend together, while the painted C-pillar separates them from a small triangular rear window.
The wheels reinforce the more jagged appearance with a five-spoke star-like shape. At the back, Hyundai kept some connection with the current Elantra but moved toward a boxier treatment. The taillights mirror the front lighting theme, using vertical lines on the fenders and horizontal beams across the trunk. The ducktail spoiler remains, now with sharper edges.
A Cabin Reshaped Around Screens And Storage
Inside, Hyundai has reorganized the dashboard around a larger center touchscreen and a smaller instrument display. The gauge cluster is now a thin bar placed near the windshield, while the infotainment screen takes up more visual space in the center of the dashboard.
The new Elantra also receives Hyundai’s Pleos Connect infotainment system. The setup includes more advanced technology and an AI chatbot named Gleo.
Hyundai has moved the gear selector behind the steering wheel. That change frees up room in the center console, giving the cabin more storage space. The layout is also cleaner than before, with significantly fewer buttons across the dashboard.
Even so, Hyundai has kept physical controls for climate and media functions. These buttons are positioned beneath the central screen, a practical detail in an interior that otherwise moves further toward screen-based controls.
Gasoline And Hybrid Versions Confirmed
The redesigned Elantra will be offered with gasoline-only and hybrid powertrains. The gasoline version keeps the same 147-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine currently available in the Elantra.
The hybrid model receives a new two-motor 1.6-liter engine. This setup produces 155 horsepower, giving the electrified version a different technical package from the gasoline-only car.
Hyundai has not yet announced an N-Line trim for the new model. There is also no official word on a performance-oriented Elantra N. For now, the revealed information is limited to the gasoline and hybrid versions.
The Avante will launch first in South Korea later this year. The Elantra name will continue for the U.S. market, where the redesigned sedan is expected to arrive in 2027.
