This is the soon to the launched all new Hyundai Avante Elantra. Avante in Korea and most probably Elantra in Malaysia and everywhere else (as usual). Someone sneaked a photo of it out from the Hyundai factory in Korea and I must say that it looks good. 

The car looks like a shrunken down Hyundai Sonata as well as the usual Audi-esque design cues you see everywhere in Hyundai and Kia these days. Especially at the front end of the car. In fact, the overall design looks better than most Audi cars these days. I blame this good fortune on Peter Schreyer, the ex-Audi designer who has made both Hyundai and Kia vehicles look extremely good these past few years.



Take a look at that front end - boomerang driving lights on the bumper, a large hexagonal grille that is more shapely than even a Sporty Audi A5, those slits for headlights and a bonnet that has a rake downwards as it reaches the nose. All of these little touches actually lift the car's styling to another level. The only gripe I would have it the rear end. Whilst it is taken from the Sonata and has those nice LED tail lights, the lower part looks a little too plain. Oh well, you can't win 'em all. This is actually pretty good considering the price range this Elantra / Avante will be selling in.

My prediction for Malaysian sales is that the car would be in by mid next year in CBU (fully imported form) before CKD local production is commenced. This would be a nice car for a small family or one that wishes to downsize and still get some nice exterior styling and a refined C segment drive too.

The interior gets the current Sonata styling too - better center vents and infotainment screen placement compared to before.

INOKOM Corporation Sdn Bhd (Inokom), which had sealed a deal with Hyundai Motor (Thailand) Co. Ltd. (HMC Thailand), will assemble and export 1,000 units of the Elantra, Hyundai’s popular C-segment passenger car to Thailand in the first year. The Elantra Nu1.8L is the only model that is being exported to Thailand. The number of units for export to Thailand is expected to increase in tandem with market demand as the Malaysian-assembled model is being priced cheaper due to the ASEAN Free Trade Area Agreement (AFTA).


Any deal that is the opposite of what usually happens is a good thing in the Malaysian car industry. Usually its Thailand that exports cars to Malaysia. This is a good thing in some ways.

PRESS RELEASE


Kulim, 28 August 2014 – INOKOM Corporation Sdn Bhd (Inokom), which has

sealed a deal with Hyundai Motor (Thailand) Co. Ltd. (HMC Thailand), will assemble

and export 1,000 units of the Elantra, Hyundai’s popular C-segment passenger car to

Thailand in the first year.

Currently, the Elantra Nu1.8L is the only model that is being exported to Thailand.

HMC Thailand offers three versions of the Elantra 1.8L in Thailand namely the 1.8

GLS Navi, 1.8 GLE and 1.8 GL. The Elantra 1.8L is in fact the first mass-oriented

passenger car product to be offered to Thai consumers by Hyundai Motor (Thailand).

Inokom, a subsidiary of Sime Darby Motors, started assembling and exporting the

first 200 units of the Hyundai Elantra since June this year. It has just rolled out

another 200 units, which will be shipped to Thailand in early September. The number

of units for export to Thailand is expected to increase in tandem with market demand

as the Malaysian-assembled model is being priced cheaper due to the ASEAN Free

Trade Area Agreement (AFTA).

“With the introduction of this new Inokom-assembled Elantra in Thailand, we expect

its popularity to soar rapidly following the competitive pricing resulting from the

ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) scheme,” said Mr Hideki Yanagisawa of

Hyundai Motor (Thailand). The introductory prices for the Elantra now start from

THB749,000 for the entry 1.8 GL automatic. The mid-range 1.8 GLE and the top-end

1.8 GLS Navi are introduced at THB819,000 and THB898,000 respectively

“Though this is our first collaboration with Inokom, we look forward to future

collaborations and possibly, for the other Hyundai models as well,” added Mr

According to Inokom’s Managing Director, En. Rizal Jailan, the collaboration with

Hyundai Motor (Thailand) could open up more export business opportunities for

Inokom, especially for locally assembled Hyundai models.

“We have proven our capabilities and we have vast experience in producing high

quality vehicles. We place emphasis on quality, productivity and efficiency and this

will ensure that we remain competitive in both the domestic and export markets. We

are confident that our track record and reputation in producing quality vehicles will

help the product’s success in Thailand.,” said En Rizal.

He added that Inokom was looking forward to a long-term working relationship with

HMC Thailand and also actively looking and evaluating other business opportunities

in the ASEAN market.

With the export initiative, Inokom hopes to further cement its support for the new

National Automotive Policy (NAP), by developing new vendors and increasing the

participation of existing local vendors.

Inokom’s vehicle assembly plant, which measures 100 acres of built-up area out of

200 acres of land, has an output capacity of 27,000 CKD (Complete Knock Down)

vehicles a year. Apart from the Elantra, Inokom also assembles the 7-seater Santa

Fe SUV and compact passenger car i10 for the domestic market that is distributed by

Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors.

About Inokom Corporation Sdn Bhd

Inokom is involved in the assembly and manufacturing of light commercial vehicles as well as

contract assembly. Its manufacturing facility is located in Padang Meha, Kulim, occupying 200

acres of freehold land. Production first commenced in August 1997.

The Company is owned by a consortium of corporate shareholders namely Sime Darby

Berhad (51%), Pesumal (M) Sdn Bhd (14%), Hyumal Motor Sdn Bhd (5%), Hyundai Motor

Company of South Korea (15%) and Berjaya Group Berhad (15%).

Inokom started with the Malaysian National Commercial Vehicles (“MNCV”) project which

produced the Permas and Lorimas models, following technology transfer from Renault and

Hyundai respectively.

Inokom started manufacturing Hyundai’s micro multi-functional vehicles (MFV) in September

2002. The agreement was finalised upon the signing of the Technical Licence Agreement in

March 2002. Since then, Inokom had produced various products at the Kulim assembly plant.

The models range from passenger to commercial vehicles and the marketing and distribution

of Inokom products is handled by Hyundai Sime Darby Motors Sdn Bhd.

About Hyundai Motor (Thailand) Co. Ltd.

Hyundai Motor (Thailand) is a subsidiary of Sojitz Corporation, one of Japan’s largest trading

conglomerates and distributor of Hyundai vehicles and other leading brands in several

country around the world. The company stated its business in Thailand in 2007 with a task

of reviving the Hyundai brand using quality strength, technology and value for money as

substantial market attraction. For almost 7 years, Hyundai Motor (Thailand) has delivered

over 22,000 vehicles to their proud owners with the best-selling model being the Starex,

Tucson, Sonata and Veloster.

Most of Hyundai vehicles marketed in Thailand are coming from Korea and Indonesia. The

Elantra from Malaysia is the first passenger car product to be imported from the ASEAN.

About Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors Sdn Bhd

Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors Sdn Bhd (HSDM) is a subsidiary of Sime Darby Motors. HSDM

is now the sole distributor and exclusive importer of all Hyundai completely built-up and

locally assembled vehicles and related spare parts. HSDM’s complete car line-up includes the

i10, i30, Elantra, Veloster, Tucson, Sonata, i40, Santa Fe, and Grand Starex Royale.

Last year Hyundai launched the current Elantra. This year, Kia launched its latest iteration of the Forte/Cerato here in Malaysia.



Kia Cerato

Aside from their respective front grilles they look so similar on the road.



 Their side profile shows that the main difference is that the Elantra's character line is high up nearer to the door handles whereas the Cerato's character line is much lower down the doors. The Elantra has fatter, flatter wheel arches in line with its 'Fluidic sculpture'  design concept. But looks heavy handed unlike the Cerato which does look more pleasing to the eye. But if one were to squint, both cars look too similar in shape and size.

Now which of the two cars is better? In terms of styling I'd have to give the nod to Kia. The reason being the Kia Cerato has its KIA 'Tiger nose'. This grille is more distinctive than the bland Elantra front end, and as stated above, the details are  more pleasing to the eye.

Equipment wise, both are similar. The Koreans throw in everything into their cars - push start button, automatic rain and light sensors, power this and power that, toilet bowl and bidet included etc. The perceived material quality of both cars are somewhat similar - you aren't buying Audis here you understand. I would however wait until there are more Kia Cerato on the road and check out forums and get more information before buying one though.

But then when we come to price of the cars. Kia wins again. What about long term ownership? How should I know? Both are Korean and what's the current market sentiment for Korean cars? Buyable, high specs, value for money but slightly wonky resale value and slightly costlier spares in the longer run.