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Compact hatchbacks are getting increasingly popularity even though compact-car sales overall are in a slump and Hyundai is doing their best to capitalize on that with the Elantra GT.
For a while, those who wanted a compact five-door didn’t have many choices and both the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf were dominating the segment. Recently, more options are hitting the market including the Chevy Cruze, Honda Civic and Toyota’s Corolla iM. An increase in options indicates a demand, something that Hyundai wishes to fill.
The current Elantra GT’s predecessor accounted for 10% of all Elantras sold and there’s potential for that number to increase. Crossovers may be gaining traction, but Mike Evanoff, manager-product planning for small cars for Hyundai Motor America, thinks “there’s a viable option to that CUV, and that is the compact hatchback”.
Those migrating from Hyundai sedans to CUVs/SUVs may be swayed towards the Elantra GT i what’s on offer is enticing enough and the hatchback is tempting indeed.
Utility wise, the GT’s 24.9 cu.-ft. of cargo room is more than what you’ll see in CUVs like the Toyota C-HR, Mazda CX-3, Chevy Trax, Audi Q3 and Jeep Renegade. Then there’s the long list of standard features including full LED headlights, upscale tablet-style display, advanced safety systems, DCT compatibility and more.
According to WardsAuto, Hyundai sold 208,319 Elantras last year in the U.S. alone and “there’s no real production limitation with this car", said Mike O’Brien, vice president-product, corporate and digital planning at HMA