"What's the name of the infectious song they play at the Red Socks games, the one by Neil Diamond? Oh, you mean Sweet Caroline?" say two marketing people. And that's probably how this latest Hyundai Sonata commercial was born.
While this ad doesn't give us the giggles, the general theme is a good one. You can't show "reckless driving" anymore, and "family values" are boring. So Hyundai's agency focused on something every driver frequently deals with: traffic jams.
Hyundai points out that there's no way to control what other drivers do, or change a crazy commute, so it tries to make life a little more bearable using a spontaneous duel with another happy 2018 Sonata owner among several angst-ridden drivers on the road.
At the same time, the video tries to sneak in a few of the car's features, like the blind spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert or the eye-catching paint that stands out.
"We fully recognize that the road of life is hectic enough already. The new Sonata may not shorten your commute, but it can certainly help make it sweeter," said Dean Evans, chief marketing officer, Hyundai Motor America.
If you're one of the handful of people who are still in the market for a mid-size sedan that's not a Camry or Accord, the 2018 Sonata seems like a good pick. It's has a lot of new sheet metal -hood, trunk, and fenders. The headlights are also new, as are some of the safety systems.
Inside, there's a new center console that feels upmarket and a 3-spoke steering wheel. Thanks to a new processor and other updates, the Sonata supposedly works with Google Home and Amazon Alexa, though we don't know what you'd ever want to say to your car. The one significant change under the hood is a 2.0T engine that's now available with an 8-speed automatic. If you ask us, that's the one to get.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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