All-new 2020 Hyundai Sonata revealed

The eighth-generation 2020 Hyundai Sonata has been revealed and confirmed for Australian release in the second half of this year.

Hyundai’s all-new flagship sedan will replace both the Hyundai i40 and the seventh-generation Hyundai Sonata, which first appeared in 2014, arrived here in early 2015 and was facelifted in October 2017.

As the first model to wear Hyundai’s new ‘Sensuous Sportiness’ design language, the 2020 Hyundai Sonata presents a bigger but sleeker four-door coupe-like body punctuated by chrome strips that extend from the headlights to the window surrounds, as seen on the unloved Hyundai i45.

Measuring 45mm longer, 30mm lower, 25mm wider and riding on a 35mm longer wheelbase, the redesigned mid-size sedan also features a spacious, luxurious and high-tech interior, plus advanced features including Hidden Lighting Lamps, which turn chromic when off and lit when on.

“A short overhang, sloping roofline and low deck lid create a balanced feel, and Hyundai’s signature chrome accent now goes all the way into the hood, making it look even longer. said Sang Yup Lee, senior vice-president and head of the Hyundai Design Centre.

“It also has LED lighting built in. These cues bring the Sensuous Sportiness design to life.”

The new Hyundai Sonata is said to take its inspiration from the Le Fil Rouge concept that debuted at the 2018 Geneva motor show and also wore a ‘Digital Pulse Cascading Grille’.

Inside, the light, clean cabin design is highlighted by an instrument cluster and central touch-screen – the latter with capacitive touch buttons – separated only by an S curve. A satin chrome accent on the steering wheel is claimed to make it look like an aircraft yoke, while shift-by-wire transmission controls free up storage space.

As we reported last year, Hyundai’s long-running Sonata – which first appeared in 1989 before being replaced by the i45 in 2010 and then reintroduced with the current model – and the newer Hyundai i40 will be merged into one model Down Under later this year.

The current Sonata is sold only as a petrol sedan and the i40 predominantly as a petrol/diesel wagon, both priced between $40,000 and $50,000. Between them this year, they have found slightly less than 1500 Australian homes to the end of October.

Today’s confirmation that the Sonata name will continue into a new generation likely spells the end of the i40 – as well as a mid-size wagon and diesel power -- for Hyundai in Australia.

It also comes as Kia plans to axe its slow-selling Optima by the end of this year, from a medium car market that declined 30 per cent last year.