New Sonata to reignite Hyundai's growth engine
Seen above is the 2017 Hyundai LF Sonata Hybrid. Hyundai will soon unveil the upgraded LF Sonata sedan. / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor
By Jhoo Dong-chan
Hyundai Motor is expected to move up the release of the upgraded LF Sonata sedan to next month, a Hyundai Motor official said Wednesday.
Korea’s largest carmaker carried out changes to the LF Sonata earlier than expected to offset last year’s poor sales. The company sold 82,203 LF Sonatas last year, down 24.2 percent compared to the previous year.
Renault Samsung and Chevrolet, in the meantime, had huge successes in sales last year with their popular SM6 and Malibu sedan, the two major competitors of the Sonata brand. With the LF Sonata facelift, Hyundai seeks to reclaim its throne as the nation’s most popular mid-size sedan maker.
“The Sonata has been our best-selling model since its introduction in 1985,” said a Hyundai official. “We still see great sales potential in the LF Sonata. The upgrade with myriad design changes will attract more motorists.”
He added that the mid-generational refresh is expected to satisfy a wider range of consumers with the carmaker’s latest design philosophy.
The front of the car is believed to feature a new highly textured "cascading grille,” which is also on its sister models such as the 2017 Grandeur sedan and i30 hatchback, but the official said he could not talk in detail about design because of company policies.
The LF Sonata upgrade is expected to generate tougher competition in the nation’s mid-size sedan market.
Still, the car topped last year’s sales in the segment, followed by the Renault Samsung SM6 with 57,478 in sales and the Kia K5 and Chevrolet Malibu with 44,637 and 36,658, respectively.
Excluding the sales of its LPG model for taxis, however, the sales of the LF Sonata plunged to only 23,751 cars in the June-to-December period while those of the SM6 and the Malibu were 31,843 and 30,364, respectively.
This generated a sense of crisis for Hyundai Motor.
Renault Samsung said it is reviewing its plan to release the SM6 LPG model for taxis.
GM Korea, the U.S. automaker’s local affiliate here, also said the Malibu sedan was the best-selling gasoline mid-size sedan with a 35 percent market share in the June-to-December period. The SM6 took 30.5 percent while the LF Sonata and the Kia K5 had 21.4 percent and 13.1 percent, respectively.
A model facelift, otherwise called a mid-generational refresh or minor model change, includes changes to a vehicle’s design during its production run while retaining the basic styling and platform of the car.