Are you among the many folks who think the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class mid-size executive sedan could have looked (way) better if not for the droopy front lights? Well, remember that there are many other alternatives in the class.
We are saying that because other automakers have also been quite busy presenting their takes on the mid-size class. And we are not referring to BMW and its G60-generation 5 Series because the Bavarians have not taken the cat out of the bag just yet. Instead, if you lower your demands a bit, other options stand out in the design crowd – hopefully for more positive reasons this time.
And because it suits our CGI case presented here, let us discuss the 2024 Hyundai Sonata for a while. The four-door sedan has been in production since 1985, and it will soon celebrate 35 years on the market before heading out into the sunset toward car Valhalla due to changing consumer demands. But Hyundai – through its latest design language shared with the Staria minivan, Kona series, or the fresh 2024 Elantra N – is ensuring the 2024 Sonata goes out with a bang. Or, rather, an LED light bar stretching across the width of the front fascia, plus plenty of powertrain choices.
But we are not here to talk about the latter, even if the turbo and hybrid units are cool in their own way, and instead, we are trying to decipher what makes the 2024 Sonata so much more attractive than the 2023 model year predecessor, which currently kicks off at just $25,250 in the United States. For sure, just slapping an LED light bar to the front will not be enough to ensure big sales in a sea of mid-size sedans, especially with fierce competition from the latest Honda Accord and the next Toyota Camry looming on the horizon.
As such, the good folks over at the AutoYa info channel on YouTube have imagined the CGI looks of an unannounced special 2024 Sonata grade that could put it on top of consumer preferences. Dubbed Sonata Night Edition, this trim package goes after the 'murdered-out' crowd that has transformed America's aftermarket realm into a veritable 'Batman' fief in recent years. Of course, they didn't think about this idea on the spot – Hyundai also presented an official Sonata Night Edition for the 2022MY, priced from $34,750.
Interestingly, the resident pixel master didn't just black out the entire car and call it a good CGI day. Instead, the CGI expert worked on a darker, more serious interior, as well. Plus, the exterior was also treated to the channel's traditional yet unofficial color reel – and only the trim elements remained black to ascertain the 'Night Edition' appearance.
By the way, since we also talked about the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, we noticed that Nikita Chuicko, the virtual artist known as kelsonik on social media, is back with yet another CGI depiction of the executive sedan. This time around, as you can see in the second post embedded below, he applied for the complete 'Shadow Line' treatment, also with a black AMG-style grille and new, larger Brabus wheels. So, which one is your digital favorite – the 2024 Hyundai Sonata 'Night Edition' or the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 'Shadow Line?'
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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