Hyundai Elantra 2012 named car of the year

The 2012 Hyundai Elantra took top honors in the most exclusive award in North America when it was named 2012 North American Car of the Year.

A jury of 50 independent North American automotive journalists evaluated each of the new cars introduced last year and chose the 2012 Hyundai Elantra as the winner.

The award was announced at a press conference at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which marks Hyundai’s second win. The Hyundai Genesis won the same award in 2009.

John Krafcik, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor America said: Elantra speaks to the success of our recipe of bold design and great fuel economy.

In a year with some truly breakthrough competitors, we are honored that the jury recognizes Elantra’s far-reaching impact on the industry. added Krafcik.

For his part, Eng. Khaled Issa, CEO of Hyundai UAE said: “Winning this award is a remarkable achievement added to the series of distinguished achievements accomplished by Hyundai during the past years and reflected positively on Hyundai’s sales in the UAE.”

The jurors considered more than 50 new vehicles, before selecting the best car. They judged the cars on a number of factors including innovation, impact on the industry, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction.

Elantra’s standard fuel economy was positively rated by the US Environmental Protection Agency. These ratings are backed up by the highest owner satisfaction with real-world fuel economy in the compact class.

Elantra is powered by an all-new 1.8-liter Nu four-cylinder engine with 148 horsepower. Elantra is considered as clean as many hybrid electric vehicles. This helps Hyundai meet its environmental commitments.

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% increase over 2011 total sales.