Hyundai Elantra facelift spotted in India ahead of official launch

- The updated Elantra was first spotted in India in December last year.

- Expected to be launched later this year.

- With the update, the sedan gets a fresh new design with aggressive styling and added equipment.

Hyundai took the wraps off the new and updated Elantra in August last year. The mid-life update to the D-segment sedan brings in a comprehensive cosmetic makeover with sharper styling and added features. After making its appearance in the country last year in camouflaged guise, another prototype of the Elantra facelift was spotted recently with a heavy cladding ahead of the official launch in India.

Appearance-wise, the soon-to-be-launched Elantra gets the new Hyundai cascading grille. The large grille is flanked by a sharp set of headlights which get angular LED lighting. The bumper has retained the aggressive chiselled design of its predecessor with triangular fog lamps on either side. There are creases on the bonnet which add to the overall drama upfront.

At the rear, the i30 inspiration makes the sharp taillights look more upmarket than before. The silhouette remains more or less unchanged but the stylish alloy wheel design makes the Elantra look more European compared to the older car which had a rather Korean air to it.

The cabin of the refreshed Elantra comes with a new eight-inch infotainment system with smartphone integration and wireless charging on the top-spec variant. Additional safety features include blind-spot monitoring system, collision warning and autonomous braking, lane departure warning along with active lane control and cross-traffic alert system. Another new feature is the Safe Exit Assist which can alert the occupants to any potential dangers before exiting the vehicle.

Under the hood, things remain unchanged in terms of powertrain. In the international market, the sedan continues to be offered with the powertrain options of the older model and the same will be the case with the Indian version. So the powertrain for the new model will be the same 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine producing 150bhp, and a 1.6-litre diesel motor which puts out 125bhp.

Hyundai is expected to bring the refreshed Elantra to India sometime late next year. With this update, the new Elantra will continue to rival against other D-segment sedans like the Toyota Corolla Altis, Skoda Octavia and the new favourite, Honda Civic.