The Lantra’s first-generation stayed on the market just five years before Hyundai replaced it in 1995 with the Lantra J2.
Hyundai was relentless. It pressed hard its R&D department to work on new products. Basically, by the time the first Lantra went on the assembly line, the carmaker started developing its successor, not the facelifted version.

The biodesign era was about to begin, and the wedged-shapes of the ’80s started to be phased-out from the market. That trend fitted like a glove to the Korean design style and, even though they couldn’t master it, they tried. It was a trial and error process, but Hyundai accepted the high price of rapid development. Maybe some shapes were not that original, such as the ovoid-shaped headlights, which resembled those from the 1991 Honda Civic, but they fit nicely on the curved bodywork panels.

The interior featured a simple design with more curved lines. Even the vents were curved and followed the exterior’s biodesign trend. It offered decent room for four adults, with good headroom for the rear passengers. As for the legroom, that was depending on the front passengers’ height.

The Lantra J2 featured fully independent suspension, which led to a higher level of comfort and better cornering speeds. But it wasn’t a sporty vehicle. Hyundai developed the 1.6-liter engine and replaced the older Mitsubishi units used on the Lantra J1.