GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Hyundai Sonata's racy new look

Sketches of the new-look Hyundai Sonata have broken cover a week ahead of the car's public debut at the 2017 Geneva motor show on March 8, revealing sporty new visuals for the range-topping 'Turbo' model.

Arriving in Australia around the middle of this year, the revised Sonata will take the fight to the likes of the Mazda6, Subaru Liberty, Toyota Camry and Ford Mondeo with a premium new look that draws on Hyundai's sporty new 'N' performance sub-brand.

The Korean car-maker says the new Sonata has experienced a "dramatic design change" to better slot in with the brand's evolving design language, featuring a new front fascia comprising a large "cascading grille", as Hyundai coins it.

This is flanked by vertically-aligned LED running lights and sculpted bonnet on the Turbo model, giving the car a low, wide stance and more road presence than previously. The top-range Turbo variant will retain the current car's potent 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine (180kW/350Nm), with a potential uptick in power.

Sonata pricing starts at $30,590 in Australia, for the 2.4-litre non-turbo petrol engine (138kW/241Nm), and tops out at $45,490 for the Premium model.

However, with the sophisticated new-look – which also includes fancy-pants LED brake lights inspired by the company's Genesis luxury brand and broader back end – and an updated interior design sprouting more standard features and expected technology upgrades, modest price rises or even readjustments of the model line-up could occur.

It's understood that Hyundai Australia is still in the process of locking down specification levels for the latest Sonata.

Stay tuned to our coverage of this year's Geneva motor show next week for more details and images of the assertively-styled 2017 Sonata.