12 January 2021 2:36 pm / 7 comments The new Hyundai Elantra has been named as the 2021 North American Car of the Year. The win secured by the CN7, which made its debut last March, makes it the second time the nameplate has won the North American COTY award, the first being with the fifth-gen in 2012. It is also the automaker’s third COTY title. The 50-strong jury picked the seventh-gen Elantra ahead of the two other finalists, the Nissan Sentra and Genesis G80. Judging was based on points such as segment leadership, innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for money. In the US, the Elantra is available in both petrol and hybrid guise. Petrol models are powered by a 2.0L MPI Atkinson Cycle engine with 147 hp at 6,200 rpm and 179 Nm of torque at 4,500 RPM. The mill is paired with the company’s Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT), its in-house developed and produced CVT with eight virtual speeds.