Hyundai Elantra Wins Prestigious 2021 North American Car of the Year™
Capping a strong year for both Hyundai Motors North American and the Elantra model, the 2021 Hyundai Elantra was awarded the prestigious distinction of being named the 2021 North American Car of the Year.
History as an Award Winner
The North American Car, Utility, and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) automotive media jury named the Elantra the winner of the award in January. This will be the third Hyundai vehicle that has been awarded the Car of the Year category win, and the second time a Hyundai sedan has won Car of the Year after it won in 2012.
José Muñoz, Global Chief Operating Office of Hyundai Motor Company and president and CEO of Hyundai Motor North America and Hyundai Motor America, said about the Elantra’s win, “Thank you to all of the jurors. I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the entire company, our Alabama and Ulsan plant employees who build Elantra, and our dealers. Elantra is a symbol of our blend of dynamic design, advanced technology, and great fuel economy. Elantra customers are going to experience all of the hard work and dedication that went into making this class-leading car.”
Selection Process
Founded in 1994, the NACTOY awards are the longest-running new-vehicle awards not associated with a single publication, website, radio, or television station. They are among the most respected in the industry due to the juror’s independence from a particular publication.
The automotive media jury pool is made up of a diverse selection of automotive journalists from numerous outlets in the United States and Canada. Through a rigorous process, the jurors tested and evaluated more than 40 new vehicles to determine the top three cars, utility vehicles, and trucks to be voted as the 2021 finalists. Then, the award-winners were selected through a series of three separate votes where the jurors evaluate each vehicle based on segment leadership, innovation, design, safety handling, driver satisfaction, and the value of the dollar.
Why Elantra Won
The NACTOY awards described the Elantra as a vehicle with a dramatic four-door coupe look that comes to life with the Parametric Dynamics design theme. It features segment-first wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and segment-first Hyundai Digital Key. The awards also cited the fact that the first-ever Elantra Hybrid received an EPA-estimated fuel economy rating of more than 50 mpg combined as a way that the Elantra stood out. Finally, the way the Elantra N and Elantra N Line performance models added to the model’s family boosted the Elantra over the top.
Highlights of the 2021 Elantra
- An all-new seventh-generation Elantra compact sedan with new vehicle platform
- Longer wheelbase, wider stance, lower roofline
- Second Hyundai vehicle with Sensuous Sportiness design identity
- An everyday exotic four-door-coupe look with innovative molding and engineering technology
- Hyundai’s optional Digital Key allows Elantra to be unlocked, started and driven without a physical key via a smartphone or NFC card
- An enhanced natural-language voice-recognition system with Speech-to-Meaning® and Deep Meaning Understanding™ technologies powered by Houndify, and lots of feature controls
- Standard SmartSense safety and convenience technologies
- Two available 10.25-inch multimedia screens under one piece of glass
Hyundai Dealership Near Me
Looking for a “Hyundai dealership near me“? The search stops here. Scott Levy’s Rosen Hyundai of Algonquin is eager and ready to help you find the perfect fit for you! Visit the best Hyundai dealer to learn more about the great features of the 2021 Elantra or schedule a test drive today!
