2012 Hyundai Accent Gets Surprise Unveil at Montreal Auto Show

Hot on the heels of the debut of the Veloster at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Hyundai has unwrapped the all-new 2012 Accent at the Montreal Auto Show. This comes as a surprise as Hyundai Motor America had said the car wouldn’t break cover until the New York Auto Show in April.

A vehicle that made its name in the industry as being a low cost option for those on a budget, Hyundai aims to keep that price structure while out-doing the competition in every other aspect.

Keeping the same styling seen on the Sonata and the new Elantra, the 2012 Accent is powered by a direct-injection 138-hp 1.6-liter 4-cylinder that makes 123 ft-lbs of torque and according to the Canadian press release gets 4.7 L/100 km highway and 6.4 L/100 km regardless of whether you choose the 6-speed automatic or manual. That works out to an incredible 50-mpg highway and 37-mpg city ratings in America.

Having grown in size, the new Accent is now 70mm (2.7-inches) longer between the wheels and 5mm wider. This not only makes for added interior space, but the Accent also delivers a sizable amount of cargo volume with 14 cu-ft of trunk space with the sedan and 17.2 cu-ft with the hatch. Despite all this, weight was kept to a minimum, with the new Accent sedan weighing just 2,392 lbs, while the hatchback model is slightly heavier at 2,429 lbs.