{"id":114461,"date":"2017-03-08T17:54:06","date_gmt":"2017-03-08T22:54:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=114461"},"modified":"2017-03-08T17:57:17","modified_gmt":"2017-03-08T22:57:17","slug":"hyundai-looks-to-save-sonata-with-midcycle-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2017\/03\/hyundai-looks-to-save-sonata-with-midcycle-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Hyundai Looks to Save Sonata With Midcycle Update"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In order to give sales of the Sonata a boost, Hyundai gave it a midcycle redesign, which it debuted in South Korea.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Hyundai Motor Co. introduced the Sonata in 2009, it hoped the new sedan would give it a substantive stake in the midsize car market. And it did \u2026 for a while.<\/p>\n

However, sales of midsize sedans have been sliding during the last two years, and the Sonata\u2019s totals even moreso. Sales of the Sonata fell 1.7% last year and have dropped 31% in the first two months of 2017 in the U.S.<\/p>\n

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We're Your Automotive News Source!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So to stem the tide, Hyundai rolled out a midcycle styling update hoping to light a fire under consumers, especially as competitors, particularly the Toyota Camry, are unveiling new-look models.<\/p>\n

The Sonata was redesigned with a curvier look in 2014 and not only were critical reviews tepid, but also clearly that feeling spread to potential buyers.<\/p>\n

(Hyundai hops into hot hatch hullabaloo with new GT. <\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>\u00a0for the story.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hyundai\u2019s new iteration of the Sonata features a sportier look with a curvy hood and a bigger grille. Hyundai’s next-generation Sonata will take design cues from this redesigned version, according to executives.<\/p>\n

Hyundai is working on next-generation cars with “a different flair” for marketing from 2019, Luc Donckerwolke, senior vice president for design, previously told Reuters.<\/p>\n

(Hyundai quarterly profits take another hit. For the story,\u00a0<\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

However, the future is now when it comes to auto sales, and Hyundai spent big cash to give the Sonata its extensive exterior makeover, rather than a simple update, which is often what automakers do in a similar position \u2014 reshaping sheet metal is very expensive.<\/p>\n

However, as the competition in the segment has ratcheted up, so has the number of these near-ground up refreshes. General Motors felt it could not sit idle as the world changed around the Chevrolet Malibu and it ordered the remake that is selling so well now.<\/p>\n

(Hyundai next maker to roll out U.S. investment plans.\u00a0<\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>\u00a0for the story.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The aforementioned Camry is the beneficiary of the move and its even happening in other segments. Honda recently just gave the new compact Civic a redo. Typically, redesigns come every three or four years, but clearly, the future really is now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Looking to bolster sluggish sales on its Sonata sedan, Hyundai took the wraps off a midcycle update of the four-door in South Korea today. To get a look at the new offering, go to TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4389,"featured_media":114468,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114461"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4389"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114461"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=114461"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=114461"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=114461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}