SPY PICS: New-look Hyundai Elantra

These new spy photos of the Hyundai Elantra add momentum to talk of an impending model upgrade.

Though the Elantra wasn't expected to be redesigned for another couple of years, Hyundai appears to have pushed forward its schedule, this new evidence suggesting the car maker will release an updated model sooner than thought -- perhaps in the next 12 months.

With a new look Elantra undergoing testing, it will bring the Holden Cruze rival in line with the current Hyundai family design DNA. These photos snapped by the Carparazzi crew reveal a rising side window line, for instance, which shows where some of the design changes are occurring.

The roofline has been swept back at the rear, creating an almost coupe-like profile in the new Korean small car, but the four-door layout will remain. The front end also appears to have been reworked, with the size and placement of the indicators suggestive of a fresh-faced Elantra in 2011. By the time it arrives in Australia, expect some unique tweaking to steering and suspension, if recent Hyundai models (Sonata, Santa Fe and i30) provide any clues.

-- with Carparazzi

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