2012 North American car of the year is Hyundai Elantra

In North America the 2012 Hyundai Elantra took top honors in the most exclusive award when it was named 2012 North American Car of the Year at Detroit auto show. A jury of 50 independent North American automotive journalists evaluated each of the new cars introduced last year and then the 2012 Hyundai Elantra was selected as the winner. Announcement of the award marks Hyundai’s second win. The Hyundai Genesis was named North American Car of the Year in 2009.

“Elantra speaks to the success of our recipe of bold design and great fuel economy,” said John Krafcik, president and chief executive officer, Hyundai Motor America. “In a year with some truly breakthrough competitors, we are honored that the jury recognizes Elantra’s far-reaching impact on the industry.” The jurors considered more than 50 new vehicles, before selecting the top three cars and top three trucks. The Volkswagen Passat and Ford Focus were the other car finalists.

This is the 19th year of the awards, which were inspired by the prestigious European “Car of the Year.” The jury is administered by an organizing committee and funded exclusively with dues paid by the jurors. Jurors judge the cars on a number of factors including innovation, impact on the industry, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar.

The company says that Elantra exemplifies Hyundai’s emotional “Fluidic Sculpture” design principles. “Fluidic Sculpture” considers the interplay of wind with rigid surfaces to create the illusion of constant motion. Elantra is an evolution of the design qualities found in Sonata. Along Elantra’s sides are Sonata’s flowing lines, with the addition of a strong undercut feature line starting at the front door. These lines, along with muscular wheel arches and a sleek roofline, create a memorable and spacious package. Flowing lines also lead to an aerodynamic body. The drag coefficient for the Elantra is an exceptionally low 0.28 that compares favorably to the Chevrolet Volt (0.29).

Hyundai hexagonal front grille, detailed headlamps signature arrow Elantra compact sports give a face. The tough stance is complemented with 15 -, 16 - or 17-inch alloy wheels and athletic proportions. Available lights and side mirrors fog repeater complete different design. Elantra was designed at Hyundai's North American design center in Irvine, California. Standard fuel economy is EPA-rated Elantra 29 mpg city and 40 mpg highway, 33 mpg combined amd, with automatic transmission or six-speed manual transmission. These figures give Elantra a highway-only range of up to 500 miles. Elantra EPA ratings are supported by the highest owner satisfaction with fuel economy in the real world of the compact segment, according to JD Power and Associates.

The Elantra under the hood, is powered by an all-new 1.8-liter Nu four-cylinder engine with 148 horsepower and 131 lb-ft of torque (145 horsepower and 130 lb-ft of torque for Elantra PZEV). Thanks to advanced clean engine technology, most Elantras sold in California, Oregon and several Northeast states are certified as Partial Zero Emission Vehicles (PZEV) by the EPA. The PZEV Elantra is as clean as many hybrid electric vehicles. The PZEV Elantra helps Hyundai meet its environmental commitments. Outside of these “green” states, the Elantra is available as an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV).

Most importantly, Elantra is driving traffic to Hyundai showrooms. Elantra’s record 186,361 sales helped Hyundai achieve its record sales of 645,691 units in the U.S. in 2011. Hyundai Motor America posted a 20 percent increase over 2011 total sales.