The Hyundai Avante has been the national car for the past 30 years. Meaning ‘moving forward, advancing’ in Spanish, Avante is a signature vehicle that has been leading the semi-mid-sized automobile market in Korea through tireless evolution. And recently, Hyundai produced a documentary video showing the splendid growth of Avante, from Elantra, the origin of Avante, to the all-new Avante, which has evolved to the current 7th generation. Through the documentary video, you may witness the unique records and amazing moments of Avante, which has always been challenging with ‘the Daring Venture’ spirit.
The scene goes back to 1987. Right before the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the economy boomed, and it was the time when ‘high-tech’ devices such as wireless telephones and pagers began to appear. People wanted more vehicles – and many kinds as well -, and in line with this, Hyundai started to develop a semi-mid-sized sedan, a new segment that did not exist before. The slogan of Elantra (J1), which was finally introduced in 1990, was a ‘human-touch sedan’ equipped with various new technologies, and to promote this, the launch video actively used 3D graphics, which was not so usual at the time, to lure attention.
The documentary video focuses on Elantra’s outstanding driving performance. At that time, Elantra received a lot of attention from the public for its excellent power performance. The video introduces Wayne Bell, who participated in the Australian regional rally with Elantra. He was the one who has seen Elantra’s potential. He proved Elantra’s strong performance by winning many races such as the World Rally Championship (WRC) Australia Rally and the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). The success story of Wayne Bell and Elantra is the origin of Hyundai’s recent series of achievements – the WRC manufacture’s championship in 2019 and 2020, and the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) in 2018 and 2019.
The video moves on to Avante (J2). It is the second generation of Avante and the first model to use the name ‘Avante’ in Korea. The video now starts to show extreme moments. The driver demonstrates skiing, one of the driving stunts where the car is driven while balanced only on two wheels, while changing tires and waving a Hyundai flag, standing on the vehicle. This was the stunt driving that took place at the opening ceremony of the Hyundai Motors Namyang Research Center in 1996, and these mindblowing scenes become vivid memories of Avante.
The video now talks about the 2000s, when everyone was excited about the new millennium. Avante’s third-generation model Avante XD debuted in 2000, the fourth-generation Avante HD in 2006, and the fifth-generation Avante MD in 2010. In addition, the video introduces meaningful awards given to Avante. The Avante XD was named one of the ‘most reasonable cars for a child’ announced by Forbes in 2005, and the Avante MD was selected as the ‘2012 North American Car of the Year’.
The video also introduces Avante under the famous TV show Walking Dead theme. Avante transformed into a giant weapon, a good fit for the background setting of the drama, which is about the city of zombies.
The video begins to introduce the 7th-generation All-New Avante (CN7), which has been through a breakthrough change, along with the 6th-generation Avante (AD), a steady seller. The all-new Avante launched this year is characterized by its innovative and unconventional design. The bold styling that goes against the tradition left a deep impression on those who have been waiting for the new Avante. In the video, you can also check the interview of the designer Cho Beom-soo, who led Avante’s innovative design changes.
The all-new Avante is characterized by revitalizing the uniquely bold and ambitious character since the first-generation model, through bold remodeling. In particular, the theme ‘Parametric Dynamics’ which depicts triangles through three lines, was applied to realize an unprecedented future-oriented image.
In addition, the all-new Avante boasts an interior design with a structure that surrounds the driver like the cockpit of an airplane, the new 3rd-generation platform, more advanced convenience specifications with panoramic display and voice recognition control, and a variety of advanced safety specifications of ‘Hyundai Smart Sense’. Thanks to these innovative changes, the All-New Avante has sold about 69,000 units including hybrid models (a 63% increase compared to the same period last year) in November since its launch in Korea in April this year.
Meanwhile, the video heralded the launch of the upcoming high-performance ‘Avante N’. It adds a high-performance model to the Avante lineup that currently includes Avante, Avante Hybrid, and Avante N line. The video shows an Avante N with N logo camouflage, running fast. We can expect Avante’s transformation, full of powerful performance and sporty sensibility.
The highlight of the video is the All-New Avante. The all-new Avante reproduced the stunt driving that the 2nd generation Avante demonstrated in the past. It shows a skiing technique, balanced on two wheels, while changing the wheels and spinning 180° just like in a movie. Avante’s stunt driving, which has been recreated after 25 years, will not only impress the customers who have been used to Avante for a long time, but also the Millennials.
This one documentary video released by Hyundai indeed shows everything about Avante. It is also noteworthy that it captures the various changes that Avante has gone through, and the visual beauty through the flashy animation effect and the old commercials from the past. From Elantra in 1990 to the upcoming Avante N, you can see the challenging evolution of Avante with the theme, ‘the Daring Venture’. You can also watch the Avante documentary video on Hyundai Motor Company’s official YouTube channel.
