HYUNDAI'S first beyond-price competitive car was the J1 Lantra, released locally in 1991. It debuted the company's first big step away from relying on discarded Mitsubishi technology, using its first in-house four-cylinder engine. The front-wheel drive five-door hatchback design was a nod to European sensibilities, although the car's dynamic abilities weren't quite there yet. Speaking of Mitsubishi, Hyundai couldn't use the overseas "Elantra" name because the Japanese company had the rights to the similar-sounding "Elante" name (used briefly on a forgotten sporty model TP Magna in the late 1980s) forcing Hyundai to drop the E from Elantra until the 2000 Mk3 XD model arrived...