If you’ve watched a Korean car review or scrolled through a Seoul dealer listing, you’ve probably hit names like Avante, Morning or Casper Electric and had no idea what they are back home. Most of the Hyundai and Kia lineup keeps the same name in the US and UK, but a few popular models change names at the border, and several never show up there at all.
This guide covers every passenger model in Hyundai’s and Kia’s current Korean lineups. We checked each one against the brands’ official Korean, US and UK websites and their owner’s manual portals in October 2026. Genesis is a separate brand, so it isn’t included. Neither are taxis, trucks, buses or commercial models like the Porter, Bongo, ST1 and PV5.
Hyundai and Kia don’t publish an official reason for each regional name, so we only list what the official sites show.
Why it helps to know the Korean name
Korean reviews, owner forums and used-car listings only use the Korean name. If you’re looking for an Avante review or a Morning owner’s thread, searching the export name won’t get you far.
It also works the other way. If you live in Korea and drive a car you know as an Elantra, the Korean dealer and the repair shop will know it as an Avante.
A quick note on Korean model names
Korean listings often put a marketing prefix in front of the model name. On Hyundai’s Korean site you’ll see “디 올 뉴 아반떼” (The All-New Avante) and “더 뉴 그랜저” (The New Grandeur).
“The All-New” usually marks a new generation and “The New” a facelift. Drop those words and you’re left with the actual model name, which is what the tables below use.
Searches both lookup tables below. Hangul works too, and marketing prefixes like “The All-New” or “디 올 뉴” are ignored.
Results come straight from the Hyundai and Kia tables in this guide, last checked October 6, 2026.
Hyundai lookup table
“Not listed” means the model doesn’t appear on that country’s official Hyundai lineup page. It may still be sold in other markets.
| Korea | Korean spelling | US | UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avante | 아반떼 | Elantra | Not listed |
| Avante N | 아반떼 N | Elantra N | Not listed |
| Sonata | 쏘나타 | Sonata | Not listed |
| Grandeur | 그랜저 | Not listed | Not listed |
| Casper | 캐스퍼 | Not listed | Not listed |
| Casper Electric | 캐스퍼 일렉트릭 | Not listed | Inster |
| Venue | 베뉴 | Venue | Not listed |
| Kona | 코나 | Kona | Kona |
| Tucson | 투싼 | Tucson | Tucson |
| Santa Fe | 싼타페 | Santa Fe | Santa Fe |
| Palisade | 팰리세이드 | Palisade | Not listed |
| Staria | 스타리아 | Not listed | Coming soon |
| IONIQ 5 | 아이오닉 5 | IONIQ 5 | IONIQ 5 |
| IONIQ 6 | 아이오닉 6 | IONIQ 6 | IONIQ 6 |
| IONIQ 9 | 아이오닉 9 | IONIQ 9 | IONIQ 9 |
| Nexo | 넥쏘 | Not listed | Nexo |
Kia lookup table
| Korea | Korean spelling | US | UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | 모닝 | Not listed | Picanto |
| Ray / Ray EV | 레이 | Not listed | Not listed |
| K5 | K5 | K5 | Not listed |
| K8 | K8 | Not listed | Not listed |
| K9 | K9 | Not listed | Not listed |
| Seltos | 셀토스 | Seltos | Not listed |
| Niro | 니로 | Niro | Niro |
| Sportage | 스포티지 | Sportage | Sportage |
| Sorento | 쏘렌토 | Sorento | Sorento |
| Carnival | 카니발 | Carnival | Not listed |
| Tasman | 타스만 | Not listed | Not listed |
| EV3 | EV3 | EV3 | EV3 |
| EV4 | EV4 | Not listed | EV4 |
| EV5 | EV5 | Not listed | EV5 |
| EV6 | EV6 | EV6 | EV6 |
| EV9 | EV9 | EV9 | EV9 |
Hyundai Avante vs Elantra, Casper Electric vs Inster
Four Korean passenger models change their names in these markets, shown in bold in the tables above. To make sure the renamed pairs are really the same car, we compared their model codes on the owner’s manual sites.
Avante and Elantra: up to the 2025 model year, the Korean Avante shares the code CN7 with the US Elantra. Hyundai’s Australian manual site lists the same car as the i30 Sedan, also CN7. Korea’s 2027 Avante has moved to a new code, CN8, while the newest Elantra manuals we found on the US site (the 2026 Elantra Hybrid and Elantra N) are still CN7-based.
Casper Electric and Inster: both are listed under the code AXEV, in Korea and on Hyundai’s Australian manual site. The gas-powered Casper has no counterpart on the US or UK sites.
Kia Morning vs Picanto
Kia’s list is short. The Morning is the only current Kia passenger model in this check that’s sold under a different name. Kia’s owner’s manual site lists both the 2027 Morning in Korea and the 2027 Picanto in the UK under the code JA.
Sold abroad but not in Korea
It works the other way too. These models are on the US or UK sites but missing from Hyundai’s and Kia’s current Korean lineups.
- Hyundai: Santa Cruz (US), i20 and Bayon (UK), IONIQ 3 (UK)
- Kia: Telluride (US), K4 (US and UK), Stonic, XCeed and EV2 (UK)
How to find a car’s Korean twin yourself
The quickest check is the model code. Both the Hyundai owner’s manual site and the Kia owner’s manual site show a short code next to the model name, such as “PALISADE LX3 2027”.
Choose a country, find the model, and note its code. Then do the same with Korea selected and the Korean name. If the base codes match, it’s the same car underneath.
Two things to watch for. First, extra letters often follow the base code: the US site lists the 2023 Elantra as CN7a, the Elantra Hybrid as CN7HEV and the Elantra N as CN7N, so compare the CN7 part. Second, a shared code doesn’t guarantee an identical spec. Engines, trims and equipment can still differ from market to market.
Keeping this table current
The Avante’s switch to CN8 shows how quickly this changes. While the US still lists the 2026 Elantra, the new Avante is already on sale here, and our 2027 Avante vs Elantra comparison has its Korean prices and specs. We’ll recheck the official sites when new model years appear.
Last checked: October 6, 2026. Sources: Hyundai and Kia official websites for Korea, the US and the UK, and the Hyundai and Kia owner’s manual portals (Korea, US, UK and Australia).
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