Hyundai's Camry fighter inspired by an owl

The sleek new mid-sized sedan from Korean maker Hyundai -- which the chief designer says was partly inspired by an owl -- will get off to a staggered start in Australia.

The replacement for the Sonata -- now called the i45 -- is due to arrive in local dealerships by the end of this month but initially only the two most expensive models will be available, the Elite priced at $34,490 and the Premium priced at $37,990.

The base model manual priced from $29,490 and base model auto priced from $30,990 missed the boat in the initial shipment and are due to arrive in two months.

"Due to strong overseas demand we initially only opted for the Elite and Premium models," says Hyundai Australia marketing manager Oliver Mann. "But since we placed our initial order we've been able to secure more supply and so we're adding the base model in a couple of months."

But even the base model i45 has increased the starting price of Hyundai's mid-size model; the predecessor (Sonata) started at $27,990.

Hyundai says the cost has increased because the i45 has more equipment. Standard fare across all models includes six airbags, stability control, fog lamps, LED tail-lights, alloy wheels and full-size spare. The more expensive variants gain push-button start, leather upholstery and other luxury features.

Hyundai expects the i45 will earn a five star safety rating by independent crash test authority ANCAP when the vehicle is tested later this year.

The i45 is powered by a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine (148kW and 250Nm) and all but one model is matched to a six-speed automatic transmission (only the price-leader is available with a six-speed manual).

A diesel engine (offered on Sonata since June 2008) is no longer available but "it's on the wish list for the future" says Hyundai's sales director Damien Meredith.

The i45's sleek body, styled at Hyundai's design studio in California, was in part inspired by an owl, says chief designer Andre Hudson, who worked at General Motors for seven years before he joined the Korean car maker.

"The front end is very assertive, very distinctive, a bit like an owl," he says. "People say 'an owl'? and look at you kind of strange. But owls are meat eaters, they're birds of prey. It's a very strong, assertive look."

Although the i45's coupe-like silhouette and bulging body creases along its flanks look similar to the Mercedes-Benz CLS and Volkswagen Passat CC, Hyundai says the car has what it calls "fluidic" design: "the slippery shapes that nature makes".

The i45's multi-million dollar television advertisement filmed in Australia reflects this, using a computer-programmed waterfall that 'rained' water on the car in numerous shapes and patterns.

See the Hyundai i45 in motion in our launch video at Carsales TV.

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