Hyundai FD Concept -2007 Elantra & C Segment Hatch

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Hyundai gives us a teaser of its upcoming 2007 midsize hatch, that will compete in the Ford Focus & VW Golf category. The sedan version will replace the current Elantra model

Designed by Hyundai’s new site in Russelsheim, Germany, the FD concept is the product of a young team of European engineers who have been given a great deal of freedom by Korean headquarters. The concept will be previewed in the Paris Auto Show in September, with production versions following in early 2007.

The FD is going to be bigger than the Accent -which will continue to be offered as an in-between category model, giving Hyundai a competitor in the C-segment, taking on Ford Focus, Opel Astra and Volkswagen Golf models.

It is already confirmed by Hyundai that the FD will would share the same platform as Kia’s new model, dubbed the ED. This ED, is actually the production version of the C'eed concept seen at the Geneva Motor Show in March, and will replace the current Cerato. But whereas the Kia was largely the work of a Korean team, then 'Europeanised' at Russelsheim, the design of the Hyundai has been created from scratch alongside the engineering development.

Although the ED and FD will share similar mechanical and structural designs, with only minor variations in, for example, suspension tuning, they will have a different image and market positioning. Underlining this, they will be built at two different factories - the Kia ED in Zilina, Slovakia, and the FD at Hyundai’s new factory at the Czech Republic. Engines will be similar to those already in the Hyundai-Kia range, including 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0-litre petrol engines and 1.5 and 2.0 turbo diesels.

The new model will be available in hatchback (3 & 5 door) and sedan versions, with the later replacing the current Elantra (see pics). According to European sources, the FD will also base Hyundai’s future midsize coupe-cabriolet and MPV models.