New Hyundai Elantra sets first-day order record

The eighth-generation Hyundai Elantra has proved so popular that it set a record on the first day it became available to order in South Korea. Within 24 hours, buyers in the country placed more than 11,000 orders for the new sedan — the best result in the model’s history, according to The Korean Car Blog.

The news is also worth noting for Kazakhstan, where the Elantra remains one of Hyundai’s most popular models. The sedan is currently available through official dealerships starting at around $19,011.

Hyundai’s new record

The previous record was held by the seventh-generation Elantra. In the spring of 2020, it received more than 10,000 orders within the first 24 hours. The new model surpassed that figure by more than 1,000 vehicles despite the growing popularity of SUVs and electric vehicles.

Customers choose higher-end versions

According to Hyundai, the top-of-the-line Inspiration trim was the most popular, accounting for 52% of all orders. The Premium and Modern trims each attracted another 24% of buyers

At the same time, the base trim proved noticeably more popular than on the previous-generation model. Analysts attribute this to Hyundai significantly expanding the list of standard features.

Hybrid gains popularity

Another notable trend concerns powertrains. The hybrid Elantra accounted for 27.5% of all orders, compared with 14.8% for the previous generation.

In addition, the new-generation Elantra features the Pleos Connect infotainment platform, support for wireless over-the-air (OTA) updates and an integrated app store.