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New Hyundai Sonata will come - PHOTOSESSION

New Hyundai Sonata will come - <font color=red>PHOTOSESSION </font>

03 September 2009 09:00 (UTC +04:00)

Bakuâ€“ APA-Economics. Hyundai has been rebuilding its image lately, succeeding in throwing off the perception that the company could only build bargain-basement econocars known primarily for their long warranties. Vehicles like the luxurious Genesis sedan and sporty Genesis Coupe have helped the company grow to be the world’s fourth-largest automaker this year. But its bread-and-butter product, the midsize Sonata sedan, remains uninspiring. A solid choice and often a good value, it does little to excite anyone into buying it.

With a planned redesign, Hyundai hopes to change all of that.

The first spy shots of the new Hyundai Sonata which will go on sale in late 2010 were posted on the Internet.

The pictures were taken during a photoshoot in Korea, and leaked on to the Hyundai Blog website over the weekend.

They are believed to show the car designed for the US and Korean markets, although the Europe-bound version is reported to be similar.

The interior photo shows a dramatically new, modern design direction, while the exterior is also different compared with Hyundai’s current look.

"We expect the car to be close to or class-leading in every department such as emissions, handling, ride and so on, but what really marks it out is that it will sell on its looks as well as all its other attributes," said a Hyundai insider.

"The design of this car is every bit as big a leap forward for the sector as the Accent to the i30 was for its sector."

European sales are expected to begin with an estate version, with saloon and hatch models following later in 2011.

The engine range is described by an insider as "exceptional" and will include the ’R’ diesels recently announced for the ix35 and Santa Fe, plus a series of small petrol and diesel engines. Sources: Rankingsandreviews and Autocar