The eighth-generation Hyundai Sonata isn’t going down without a fight. The current car (seen in the video below) debuted in 2019 with a bold face that the press appreciated for countering the anonymity of the midsize sedan segment. Car buyers, on the other hand, may not have been convinced. Company bosses suspect the Sonata’s unconventional looks have been a factor in the sedan’s sales woes in the US and South Korea. Sonata sales topped six figures in the US from 2004 to 2018, nearing or exceeding 200,000 annual sales from 2010 to 2016. In 2022, dealers here moved just 55,131 units. Amidst stories that there won’t be a ninth-generation Sonata, Hyundai is giving the current car another chance to impress with new front and rear bumpers and a refreshed interior.
The design language called Sensuous Sportiness is here just “The Sportiness”. A “seamless horizon light” sets the new attitude, both it and the grille below the width of the car. The standard Sonata and N-Line look sharp and taut, with the headlights sitting in black inserts that fade into the overall fascia design. They are distinguished by a slightly different grille mesh and slightly blacker trim on the race model.
At the rear, a reshaped trunk opening and straight lines create a more technical stance, accentuated by the new “H light”. This is a pair of uprights for the taillights, connected by a full-width light bar. The rounded contours of the current car’s lower rear bumper have been tapered into muffler-like shapes on the standard trim, trimmed to accommodate quad pipes on the N-Line. This N-Line also gets a slightly more aggressive roof spoiler and a new set of 19-inch wheels.
Horizontals also dominate the revised cabin. For the first time in a Hyundai, the separate instrument cluster and infotainment area merge into a single curved screen. There is a 12.3-inch screen for the driver, another of the same size for infotainment. A full-length vent separates the center screen from the lower console. Designers moved the gear selector to the steering column, opening up the central tunnel area for a longer armrest and more storage under a richer set of climate controls.
Hyundai will show the Sonata publicly at the Seoul Motor Show on March 30 before launching the sedan globally.
