The new Hyundai Elantra will be coming to Malaysia this year, and the estimated time of arrival is the fourth quarter of 2011, possibly in October. While the C-segment sedan was first shown to the world in South Korea a year ago, it’s only now that the fifth-generation Elantra is ready to be launched in general markets – Hyundai factories producing the car have been running at full capacity plus overtime to cope with the huge demand.

Our sources hint at two engines being offered – a 1.6L Gamma engine (Dual CVVT) and the newer 1.8-litre “Nu” engine. Both units will be paired with Hyundai’s six-speed automatic transmission with manual override. The smaller of the two units puts out 130 PS and 157 Nm of torque, decent for an NA 1.6. The Nu engine is rather new – rated at 150 PS and 178 Nm, the engine, which made its debut in the Elantra, has D-CVVT and VIS. Hyundai’s GDI and diesel engines won’t be available though – they’re not taking chances on our fuel quality.

Those drivetrains will be housed in a new body that is 4,530 mm long and 1,775 mm wide. That means it’s 25 mm longer than the old car, but with the same width. Most will swear that it’s wider though, thanks to the flowing “Wind Craft” design that rides on the brand’s “Fluidic Sculpture” direction. Sitting on a new platform, the Elantra’s wheelbase has grown by a substantial 100 mm, now matching the Honda Civic’s 2,700 mm.

We’re speculating that two trim levels will be offered – Standard and High Spec – as per Hyundai-Sime Darby’s latest offerings, the Sonata and Tucson. Range topping models could be equipped with toys such as a sunroof, keyless entry with start/stop button and six airbags.

And if you’re wondering, this model will be called the Elantra in Malaysia, as it was called before Hyundai-Sime Darby renamed the later batches of the previous gen car to Avante. This is in line with Hyundai’s naming policy for the model, which will be called Avante only in Korea. The Avante to Elantra name switch also applies to Singapore.