Hyundai Elantra Sport with 200 hp rumoured, for US

A report from the US suggests that a more performance-oriented version of the Hyundai Elantra will be launched in North America this year. According the Leftlane News, the new model, based on the latest-gen Elantra, will make its debut at the coming SEMA Auto Show in November 2016.

The Elantra Sport, as it is rumoured to be called, will face off against the likes of the Honda Civic Si and the Volkswagen Jetta GLI models. The publication, which doesn’t reveal its source, says that the Elantra Sport will feature a 1.6 litre turbocharged engine with up to 200 hp, and a six-speed manual, or seven-speed dual-clutch auto transmission.

Currently, the US market gets just one variant of the Elantra, which uses a 147 hp 2.0 litre four-pot MPI petrol engine. Naturally, a turbocharged unit may increase the model’s appeal against new competition from the turbocharged 10th-generation Honda Civic.

However, do note that Hyundai does already have such a powertrain combo in the US – one that it could lift straight out of the Veloster Turbo. The four-pot turbo makes 200 hp and 265 Nm of torque, and likewise, can be paired with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

It has also been confirmed that a new turbocharged 1.4 litre Kappa GDI four-cylinder mill is reserved for the Elantra Eco trim, which will only be available in the States by the end of the first quarter of 2016. Paired to an EcoShift seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, it produces 128 hp at 5,500 rpm and 211 Nm of torque from 1,400 rpm to 3,700 rpm.

GALLERY: Sixth-generation Hyundai Elantra