Photo: Aksyonov Nikita
Hyundai has always had an "everything you can do, we can do cheaper" kind of attitude to cars, which is why the company has one of the largest lineups of any manufacturer. However, it couldn't justify keeping the i40 around in Europe, which doesn't necessarily mean it will vacate the segment.
From what we understand, the plan is to ship the Sonata from South Korea, and that even includes a wagon body style. The same thing happened a few years ago with Kia, who introduced a Sportswagon body to the range in 2016.
They only sold about 15,000 Optimas in total on the old continent, but the Sonata Wagon has already been approved for production, replacing the i40 in early 2020. The two will share all their engines, though we suspect these aren't the same ones that were revealed for the North American market.
Most likely, the range will focus on the new 2.0 CRDi with mild-hybrid technology or the 1.6-liter turbo. We know that AWD and two types of hybrid are being developed for the Sonata, as well as the next-gen Optima that will share its platform. There's even an "N Line" model coming with over 275 horsepower.
So we have a rough idea of the power and launch date, but what about the looks? Fortunately, Aksyonov Nikita created just the rendering we needed, probably by grafting the roof of the i30 wagon onto the Sonata.
A Sonata four-door convertible is something else he decided to do. It looks like something that wants to be put out of its misery, but that's because we've been taught to believe cabriolets aren't cool. But as little as nine years ago, Hyundai was still making and selling a Sonata Cabrio. Together with the Toyota Camry Solara, it was part of a strange little mid-size sub-segment.
They only sold about 15,000 Optimas in total on the old continent, but the Sonata Wagon has already been approved for production, replacing the i40 in early 2020. The two will share all their engines, though we suspect these aren't the same ones that were revealed for the North American market.
Most likely, the range will focus on the new 2.0 CRDi with mild-hybrid technology or the 1.6-liter turbo. We know that AWD and two types of hybrid are being developed for the Sonata, as well as the next-gen Optima that will share its platform. There's even an "N Line" model coming with over 275 horsepower.
So we have a rough idea of the power and launch date, but what about the looks? Fortunately, Aksyonov Nikita created just the rendering we needed, probably by grafting the roof of the i30 wagon onto the Sonata.
A Sonata four-door convertible is something else he decided to do. It looks like something that wants to be put out of its misery, but that's because we've been taught to believe cabriolets aren't cool. But as little as nine years ago, Hyundai was still making and selling a Sonata Cabrio. Together with the Toyota Camry Solara, it was part of a strange little mid-size sub-segment.
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