China’s situation is very intense, indeed, but the truth is it’s only a more intense example of the average behavior the entire world is having lately, when it comes to automobiles. The quantity of options has increased faster than ever, which can make the task of choosing a new car easy or hard just as easily – you can see it as getting closer to get exactly what you want, or as having lots of options to browse through. However, it’s interesting to notice that some of these appeared as an attempt to correct the effects of another sign of all the evolution this industry has had in the past few years.
European Ford, for instance, used to sell Escort as its only compact car in the 1960s. But, like most automakers do, each new generation left it bigger and more sophisticated. This situation reached the point of upgrading its market category in the 1970s, because it started to compete with more expensive models. This is actually why Fiesta was released, in 1976: Ford created a new compact car to fill the category in which Escort no longer fit. And, as you might’ve already figured, the same thing happened once again in the 1990s: both models were still on their “original” categories, but their growth managed to make room for Ka under them, in 1996.
Mistra distinguishes itself for being the result of both these tendencies. The Chinese market can offer really big sales, but only if the automaker’s offer is good enough to deserve them. Since Sonata works well with the entry-level of luxury cars and Elantra became sportier than ever, the new sedan places itself between them in order to offer a more formal and elegant option than the latter without costing too much. This idea turns interesting when we remember that Elantra (and its hatchback sibling i30) is seen as a compact sedan in United States. It isn’t bad reputation at all, but many other customers prefer more traditional vehicles in this price range.
And this is what inspired Hyundai to create a new sedan which will be restricted to China. Mistra features a very elegant set of lines and volumes, that follow the latest version of the company’s Fluidic Sculpture design trend – instead of too sporty and aggressive shapes, there are more solid and discreet ones. The pictures show that there are many elements that look very much like Elantra’s, but applied in a different way. The lights still use irregular shapes, the windows are still tall and the third volume is still short, but everything shows whole new proportions. It won’t be hard to see people claiming Hyundai really should take Mistra to other countries.
If the idea of a more traditional vehicle starts to appear at the exterior, its best expression is found at the cabin. Mistra tries to resemble luxury cars with items such as two-tone materials and large wooden accents, forming a huge contrast with Elantra’s “high-tech-like” interior. But the new car only reminds of ‘1980s luxury vehicles at the design: you can still find a large touchscreen, digital climate control and multimedia sound system, just like in most modern vehicles. While most sporties seek friend groups or singles, Mistra looks for young families. But it won’t be surprising at all if it ends attracting people who didn’t want to settle for an Elantra but couldn’t afford Sonata.
Hyundai’s new sedan was first shown as a concept car in the latest Shanghai Auto Show. Its name was taken from the Southern Greek city of Mystras. This vehicle is 4.77-m large, 1.82-m wide and 1.42-m tall, with 2.77 m of wheelbase – which places it between Elantra and Sonata also physically. It’ll be produced by the automaker’s local partner Beijing and will offer only two engine options for its trim level list, both four-cylinder, gasoline users: the 1.8L generates 143 hp and the 2.0L goes to 155 hp. There’s no information concerning prices yet.