Form and Function
Hyundai has reinvented itself as a brand that prioritizes not just how cars move today, but also trailblazing new, out-of-this-world car designs. Globally, Hyundai has done well to raise its profile by offering a healthy mix of electrified models, including award-winning designs such as the Ioniq EVs.
Most recently, Hyundai debuted the latest Elantra (Avante in South Korea) at the 2026 Busan Mobility Show, sparking much debate over its design. Not many people have seen the new design in person, but one lucky blogger did and posted about it online, giving us a unique glimpse into its language.
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Art Of Steel In Base Form
What makes the new Elantra significant is that it is one of the first models to usher in Hyundai’s new radical design language, called Art of Steel. To summarize the overall design language, Art of Steel is a mix of sharp, boxy, and angular design cues that create a very modern-looking (and striking) aesthetic.
The Korean Car Blog published a report highlighting the new Elantra; specifically, a blogger known as 최연소군 managed to photograph the car in the flesh. Even more interesting is that the car in the photograph represents the all-new Elantra in its very base variant. At first glance, it’s apparent that even in base form, the Elantra retains the main highlights of the new design: a longer wheelbase and a wider, more imposing stance.
However, there are a few key differences. The first is the use of halogen bulbs in the rear taillights instead of more high-tech LED lights. Moving to the front, the LED DRLs have been retained, but a simpler LED projector setup for the headlights. The most obvious difference, though, is that instead of the more stylish 18-inch geometric rims, the base uses comfort-focused 16-inch wheels with a very plain design.
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Streamlining? Or Cost Cutting?
The report also speculates on why Hyundai would choose to differentiate the lighting designs of the Elantra variants, rather than implementing a single design for all. It might make sense, production-wise, to use a single design for all variants; however, the cost of producing high-end LED lights will dramatically raise the price of what is supposed to be a base-model offering.
Overall, even in base form, we can see that Hyundai is sticking to the design language, which means the Elantra, no matter what trim level you get, will always turn heads.
Hyundai
