Hyundai abandons the new generation Sonata, but restyling will be

The South Korean company Hyundai is going to abandon the popular and familiar in Russia model Sonata. This will not happen immediately - in a few years, but there will definitely not be a new generation of sedan.


But the manufacturer said that in the near future the car will be subjected to cosmetic restyling. Global changes are not planned - Sonata will just look more modern. This will help maintain the interest of buyers, which are becoming less and less.

The removal of the Hyundai Sonata from production is a done deal. The measure is forced - worldwide sales of large sedans are falling, and the demand for crossovers is growing. Buyers like five-door off-road vehicles. And even though most crossovers are far from SUVs, high ground clearance is enough for trips out of town.



There is another reason why the South Korean manufacturer wants to ditch the Sonata. This is the presence in the row of another sedan - Ioniq. This is a new model that is built on a platform designed for the production of hybrids and electric cars.

In the future, this car will be replaced by a new one - Ioniq 6. It will already be a full-size sedan, comparable in size to the Hyundai Sonata, although a little short of it. It is possible that this model will become a replacement.

To understand why the Koreans are going to gradually abandon the Sonata and definitely will not develop a new body for it, it is enough to analyze the global sales statistics. For example, in the US, industry giants such as Chevrolet and Ford have been forced to curtail production of the large Impala and Fusion sedans.



As for the Hyundai Sonata specifically, back in 2016, the model in the United States was in fairly high demand - more than 200 cars were sold during this calendar period. This success has not been repeated, sales are falling, and with a steady decline.

The last straw was that in the first 4 months in 2022, the Koreans were not able to sell even 10 Hyundai Sonata in the US.
Even if Americans refuse big sedans, this is already a trend. The class is losing ground, and automakers are suffering losses if they don't stop producing such models in time.

It makes no sense to make an electric car out of the Hyundai Sonata either - mid-size cars are popular with buyers. With the advent of Ioniq 6, this niche will be completely closed.