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  The Sonata Hybrid Blue is due to go on sale in the US at the end of the year, along with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four cylinder petrol engine.

News Limited journalist Cameron Smith got more than he bargained for when he stopped over in the Victorian town of Bright recently.

As he drove into the hotel he stumbled across two camouflaged cars.  Hyundai engineers from the company's South Korean headquarters had parked a disguised new mid-size sedan and a Ford Fusion hybrid in the hotel carpark.

Further checks revealed the mid-size Hyundai - codenamed the YF - was a hybrid too.  Hyundai Australia spokesman Stephen Howard, confirmed the Koreans were doing hot weather testing around Bright but he could not reveal details.

"HMC research and development use Australia as one of its prime hot testing grounds for new vehicle development program. In this case we can confirm that the car you saw was a hot test car," he says.  Howard was coyer about the hybrid powertrain, referring Carsguide to details of a proposed hybrid model for the US.

The Sonata Hybrid Blue is due to go on sale in the US at the end of the year, along with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four cylinder petrol engine.
Howard did confirm what we already knew, that the mid-sized sedan goes on sale locally soon.

Although specification and pricing is yet to be announced the car is expected to be close in price to the outgoing Sonata models.  The company is yet to confirm the car's name but it could follow Hyundai's new ‘I’ naming policy that has delivered the i30, iMax and iLoad.
When the sleek sedan does hit Australian showrooms it is tipped to get a new direct injection GDI Theta II 2.4-litre four cylinder with continuous variable valve timing.

The equivalent front drive US model delivers 148kW at 6300 revs and 250Nm at 4250 revs.  It comes with a new six-speed automatic, six airbags and electronic stability control.

The newcomer marks a radical styling departure for the company's family sedan.  It is more rakish, in keeping with Hyundai's new ‘fluidic sculpture’ design language which debuts in the ix35 soft-roader in a few weeks.

The new Sonata has already been a sales hit in Korea. More than 100,000 have been sold since the car went on sale in September.