R.I.P: Hyundai Elantra Coupe
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The coupe version of the Elantra will not return for 2015.
Due to poor sales.
Of course!
A coupe should be more than a 2 door sedan.
It should have more style and look better than the sedan version. Or at least, be different.
Honda seems to be doing it right. Both the Civic coupe and Accord coupe have their own design.
And do not look like 2 door versions of the sedans that are based on.
A coupe with no more style than a sedan is really useless. And a lazy way to design a car…
Maybe they shouldn't sell it with a R.I.P. stripe package 😀
I agree, Vince, but I do miss the coupe craze among the imports back in the 90's. And personally, I miss two door sedans, last thing we had in the states that was moderatly close to that was the Focus two door 2008-2010. And then before that with the stupid Toyota Echo.
Well said.
If they had took the GT hatch approach it would have sold better!
I think it happens to be a rather attractive looking coupe.
Unfortunately, it has two major obstacles impeding its success:
1) It's an entry in a withering segment in the US market. Front wheel drive coupes are simply not very popular anymore in our market. I don't see very many Civic or Accord coupes out and about either. Most US buyers prefer more utility and versatility in our mainstream front wheel drive vehicles. Restricting exterior access to the back row of seats by offering two less doors is no longer a pathway to success in our market, no matter how nice looking the resulting vehicle happens to be (and this vehicle is very appealing, IMHO).
2) The Elantra sedan already had a winning combination of a swoopy, coupe-like profile in a practical 4-door configuration. Although the coupe version looks great, it was a totally unnecessary addition to the Elantra line.
If I were Hyundai, I would have further expanded the Elantra line by adding the current gen i30 wagon as the new gen Elantra Touring. Considering how unpopular wagons are in our market, I am amazed to see quite a few 1st gen ETourings out on the road. The new gen i30 wagon is much more attractive than the first gen i30/ETouring wagon, so I think it would have made a more valuable addition to the Elantra line.
^^ Honestly do you keep tabs of every traffic pattern in the country? Here in New York I see more coupe variants than sedans on certain generations of accord and civic. Solaras always sold well here too, even up until the end.