This is how the 2011 Hyundai Elantra coupe, to be unveiled at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, would look like.

Rivaling cars Like Kia Forte (Cerato) Koup and Honda Civic Coupe, the Elantra Coupe not only looks almost exactly like the sedan, it’ll also get the same 1.8 liter 148 hp engine. That’s not a very gutsy powertrain, but it does 40mpg highway and almost 30 mpg in city driving which is very impressive.

It would be nice if Hyundai takes the same approach to coupes as Kia did with the Forte Koup, and set the Elantra Coupe apart from its sedan sibling by adding more sportiness, more drama to the way it looks. Kia has done that, both inside and out, with great results. Or maybe they have saved it for the R-Spec version of the car, which is due in 2012 with a more powerful engine and hopefully sportier styling. That said, the finished product at the LA Show could be different than the rendering here.

So this would be a cheaper alternative for the Genesis Coupe and a serious threat for its sister from Kia.

Source: InsideLine