U SPY in California: Meet the New 2013 Hyundai Elantra Hatchback

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.

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And the North American Car and Truck of the Year Finalists are…

For the past 18 years, a committee of journalists from U.S. and Canadian magazines, radio and TV stations, websites and newspapers meet once a year and vote for the North American Car and Truck of the Year [NACTOY].

You'll have to wait until January to find the winners for the 2012 edition of the North American Car and Truck of the Year, but the three finalists for each category were announced on Thursday in Detroit.

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New Hyundai Elantra Sales Soar to 216,331 Units in the U.S. and Canada in 2011

While the economic climate may not be ideal, Hyundai is enjoying a success this year in North America as it has eclipsed the 600,000 annual sales mark for the first time in its 25-year U.S. history.

Leading the way in both Canada and the USA, is the redesigned Elantra that saw its sales increase by 43 percent, from 151,735 deliveries in 2010 to 216,331 this year, setting an all-time record for the model series.

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Hyundai Elantra is a compact car from South Korea

Manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company ! Production 1990–present ! Predecessor Hyundai Excel ! Successor Hyundai i30 (hatchback, Europe only) ! Class Compact

The Hyundai Elantra (Korean: 현대 엘란트라), or Hyundai Avante (현대 아반떼) in South Korea, is a compact car from Hyundai of South Korea launched for the 1991 model year, and now in its fourth generation.

The Elantra was formerly marketed as the Lantra and the Avante in Australia and some European markets. In Australia, this was due to the similarly named Mitsubishi Magna Elante model. This gave rise to disagreement from other motor manufacturers, and the name was standardized as "Elantra" worldwide in 2001 (with the exception being Korea and Malaysia still selling under the name Avante).

The Hyundai Elantra (Korean: 현대 엘란트라), or Hyundai Avante (현대 아반떼) in South Korea, is a compact car from Hyundai of South Korea launched for the 1991 model year, and now in its fourth generation.

The Elantra was formerly marketed as the Lantra and the Avante in Australia and some European markets. In Australia, this was due to the similarly named Mitsubishi Magna Elante model. This gave rise to disagreement from other motor manufacturers, and the name was standardized as "Elantra" worldwide in 2001 (with the exception being Korea and Malaysia still selling under the name Avante).

First generation (1991–1995)
Launched in 1990 to compete with the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla the Elantra (codename J1) received a mid-term facelift in 1993. It was originally designed to replace the Hyundai Excel, but the Excel ended up being sold for four seasons until being replaced by the Accent.

The Elantra was powered by a Mitsubishi-designed 1.6 L (1596 cc) straight-4 This DOHC 16-valve 1.6 L unit produced 113 hp (84 kW) at 6000 rpm and could push the Elantra to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 9.5 seconds. The quarter-mile (0.4 km) run took 17.1 seconds and produced 80 mph (129 km/h). Top speed was 116 mph (187 km/h). The Elantra got 22 mpg (10.7 L/100 km) in the city cycle. Starting in 1993 there was also a Mitsubishi-designed 1.8 L (1836 cc) straight-4 engine available the 1.8L unit that produced 124 hp (99 kW) at 6000 rpm.

The Hyundai Elantra was facelifted in 1992 for the European market, adding Hyundai's current logo to the grille, although North American models retained the previous year's look. In 1993, the vehicle was facelifted again. The third (second in North America) and final facelift of this generation occurred in 1994 for both front and rear fascias.