Elantra

Make
Hyundai
Segment
Sedan

While China's own automakers continue working to step up their game, foreign automakers salivate over the expansion of the Chinese car market – even if they are required to operate under a joint venture with a local Chinese company. Hyundai isn't about to miss out on the growth opportunity, setting up the Beijing Hyundai Motor Company in 2002 and rolling out this new product at the Shanghai Auto Show. Called the Mistra, the new sedan appears in near-production concept form and is sized to slot in between the Elantra and Sonata models.

Developed by collaboration between Seoul and Beijing, the Mistra is characterized by less dramatic styling than its American-centric stable-mates. It rides on a 2.7-meter wheelbase with 19-inch alloys, measuring 4.7 meters from bumper to bumper, sits 1.8 meters wide and under 1.5 meters tall. Although named after a Greek city in English, its Chinese name Mingtu means integrity and quality – sentiments which any automaker would look to convey. Hyundai hopes to attract young parents in their 20s and 30s when the production version hits showrooms across China, likely in the near future.