The upcoming Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition (April 20-27) – aka Auto Shanghai, is filling its press days with an extensive roster of novelties that would quickly put to shame some Western events – such as the recently concluded New York Auto Show (April 7-16).
That is a sad thing considering the strained US-China relationship, but at least it is good news for the still-ailing automotive industry that was hammer-hit on more than one occasion during these past couple of years or so. Anyway, among the automakers taking the venue by storm was also South Korea's Hyundai, which brought some Lion King-related smiles to the audience when it presented the Mufasa compact SUV "designed specifically for China," as well as the company's facelifted Elantra N sporty sedan.
Initially unveiled at home as the regular Avante, this fresh Elantra N acts as a preview for the global model that will also reach the North American shores as soon as possible to properly brawl with the likes of Honda Civic Si, Subaru WRX, or the Volkswagen Jetta GLI, among others. Interestingly, and also judging by recent introductions like the all-new Kona series, it seems that the Staria minivan's posh and minimalist styling has echoed among the corner office head honchos, judging by the full-width front LED bar treatment also applied to the redesigned Elantra N.
As such, there is a question to be asked – when and where are other Hyundai models going to follow suit with their upcoming styling refreshes? While many others considered the 2024 or 2025 Tucson compact crossover SUV would follow mainly in the design footsteps of the popular Hyundai Palisade, some may think that the new Kona or Elantra N developments might suggest otherwise.
And they are also taking styling matters into their own hands. Or, rather, at the tip of their CGI brush – as is the case here with Dimas Ramadhan, the virtual automotive artist behind the Digimods DESIGN channel on YouTube, who has taken up the task of revealing the refreshed 2024 Tucson – albeit only in CGI. While the resident pixel master considers the 2024 or 2025 model year Tucson ripe for an all-new generation, let us be frank – it would be premature to switch to the fifth iteration after the NX4 series was so well received, despite (or because of) the quirky design.
It will likely be just a nice 'little' facelift that could touch some of the most important points – such as a radiator grille redesign, new front and rear LED light bars, and a different split-headlight and taillight styling. And the ideas seen here in CGI are entertaining, indeed, not just the full-width front LED bar but also the rear treatment with 'pixel' units tucked lower on the rear bumper to complement the minimalist treatment of the traditional taillight zone.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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