Hyundai Sonata 2015 News

Manufacturers including Hyundai, Holden, Jeep, Peugeot, Citroen and Audi have all issued safety recalls for various models, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced its latest round of safety recalls, with models from Subaru, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Mazda, Toyota and Ford affected.

A number of potentially hazardous faults have been identified in vehicles sold in Australia, prompting a wide range of recalls.

LF Hyundai Sonata sedans are being recalled due to a possible stability control-related brake failure.

Hyundai wants people to change over their cars the way they switch mobile phones.

The new Sonata was first revealed in March last year, and now Hyundai has confirmed local pricing and specifications for the all-new sedan.The new Sonata uses Hyundai's 'Fluidic Sculpture 2.0' design language, which we first saw used on the Genesis sedan that arrived last year.Three trim levels will be available - Active, Elite and Premium - following the formula used by several other Hyundai models.The base Sonata Active kicks off at $29,990, cheaper than its Toyota Camry and Mazda6 key rivals and matching the entry price of the new Subaru Liberty.The Active is powered by a 138kW/241Nm 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine paired to a six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission.The entry-level Active comes with features including a 4.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system with all the expected connectivity options, six-speaker sound, cloth upholstery, LED daytime running lights, automatic headlights and 17-inch alloys.Standard safety features include reversing camera, reverse parking sensors, six airbags, traction and stability control systems, electronic brake-force distribution, hill-start assist, emergency stop signalling as well as a brake assist system.The $36,990 Sonata Elite steps up to a 180kW/350Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine and is also paired with a six-speed torque-converter automatic.The Elite includes all the features of the Active, but adds an eight-inch touchscreen with satnav and live traffic updates, leather seats, dual-zone climate control and LED tail lights.Priced at $41,990, the top-spec Sonata Premium builds on the Elite's features and adds front parking sensors, panoramic glass sunroof, auto-levelling bi-xenon headlights with static cornering lights, automatic wipers, auto-dimming rear view mirror, heated and ventilated front seats with memory function as well as 18-inch alloys.Cargo capacity is a generous 462 litres for all Sonata models, with a full-size alloy spare beneath the boot floor.

New Hyundai Sonata has considerably more style than before.

The official wraps will come off the new Sonata at New York motor show in April, but Hyundai has given the sedan an early unveiling in South Korea, giving us a look at how the latest family styling sits on the vehicle.The Sonata -- which will arrive as a replacement for the i45 sedan that was axed last year -- is now marginally longer and wider, but promises a significant increase in cabin space.Hyundai says there will also be a more premium focus on the fit-out, with better materials and technology, including advanced multimedia, connectivity and infotainment systems, rear parking sensors, heated leather seats and rear-side curtain airbags, while an upgraded suspension system points to better handling and  ride quality.Overseas markets will get a choice of three 2.0-litre engines with power outputs ranging from 111kW for an LPi-fuelled one to 124kW and 142kW for petrol units, however Australian specifications is yet to to confirmed -- and could include larger and more powerful mills to cater to our local tastes.However we're also yet to hear whether there the Sonata will sit in the Hyundai range in relation to the i40 sedan -- which itself booted out the i45. It's possible that the Korean carmaker may further rationalise the line-up, and we'll see the i40 exit to make way for the more upmarket Sonata.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

The Korean car maker boasts of testing the new sedan at the Nurburgring in Germany and the deserts of California, but anyone who’s been in Central Australia recently might have seen it undergoing dust and hot weather testing in the NT.The recently-unrestricted section of the Stuart Highway might also have had some attraction to the Hyundai engineers looking to put the car through some rigorous high-speed work in the heat as well. HMCA’s Bill Thomas says the parent company’s engineering team is covering more than 20,000km of outback "roads.""They’re doing final certification runs, for hot weather and durability testing, it’s mostly dirt road stuff but also combined with hot weather testing at this time of year, all over the NT for about 20,000km so they’re busy," he says. While the brand has been undertaking increasing amounts of local tuning for the chassis, Mr Thomas says the work in the NT is not related to local tuning."This Korean HMC work, we’re not due to tune that car locally for some months yet, we haven’t got our hands on a pre-production prototype yet," he says. "I don’t think that they’re measuring suspension response, it’s main durability and hot weather testing," he says.The Australian arm of the Korean brand will tune the suspension more toward local tastes later in the year prior to the third quarter launch, when it will slot back into the line-up alongside the i40 - coexistence is the plan for the medium-sized Korean cars."It depends on the breadth of spec that we choose for Sonata as to how we possibly modify the rest of the range, i40 is a similar sizes and target market... Sonata is more of a global car, it’s a bit of horses for courses for us, making sure we get the best mix of models," he says.The brand is also working towards the launch of the Genesis sedan halo car - "We’re trying to get through finalising pricing and final specification and some research, that’s third quarter for us," Thomas says - but it’s headed into a tough large-car market segment.Australians can expect V6 engines in the big RHD sedan, as the V8 has not been engineered for RHD, and anyone waiting for a production version of the HND-9 concept - minus the butterfly doors - coupe from last year's Seoul motor show will be waiting for at least two years.Hyundai head office in South Korea has released more details on the incoming all-new Sonata, prior to the world-premiere in Korea later this month. Improvements in safety and performance are high on the company’s list of targets, prompting the South Korean automotive giant to test the all-new medium sedan in a number of locations around the world - including the Northern Territory, apparently. 

Hyundai Australia has confirmed that the seventh generation of its mid-size sedan will return to our shores as the Sonata, after the name was dropped in 2010 in favour of i45.The most recent i45 model was removed from the local Hyundai model line-up early last year because of global supply issues."We've opted for 'Sonata because it's the global name for the car - the previous Sonata was called i45 in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Columbia only," Hyundai Australia spokesman Bill Thomas told Carsguide."The alphanumeric names apply to European-designed/built cars, so i20, i30, ix35, i40 are all Eurocentric, while cars with names - Elantra, Santa Fe, Sonata - are global cars.”Hyundai has revealed a teaser image of the new model ahead of its debut in Korea later this month, giving us our first glimpse at the car’s exterior styling. Hyundai’s Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design language – first seen on the new Genesis luxury sedan - is expected to give the new Sonata a more premium and refined appearance.The Korean brand’s hexagonal grille features at the front, with flowing headlights bleeding into the chrome window frames. A muscular character line runs from behind the front wheel arch to the taillights, while the rear profile is sleek, incorporating what appears to be a hatchback tailgate.With the new Sonata, Hyundai says it has worked hard to improve safety and performance over the outgoing model. With testing undertaken at the infamous Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany, the company says it is confident its new car will meet and exceed customer expectations in terms of quality and refinement.“The all-new Sonata has evolved again, based on Hyundai Motor’s world-class technologies, and it will play an important role in further facilitating our shift from quantitative growth to qualitative growth,” Jeong Gil Park, head of the Hyundai engineering and design, says.”Increased use of advanced high-strength steel in the Sonata’s passenger cell has also resulted in an increase in torsional rigidity of 40 per cent over the current car. Hyundai is confident the new model will perform positively in crash testing.More information on Australian specifications and pricing will be released closer to the Sonata’s local launch later this year, but a 2.0-litre turbo version is on the plan. "We haven't got any details yet on specs for Sonata, or how that might change the model mix re i40. (But) drivetrain options will include a 2.0-litre turbo engine," Thomas says.He says it's too early to estimate whether global production will mean similar supply hurdles to those faced by the previous model. "Supply issues meant we couldn't justify the continued sale of the last car. We can't say how supply will differ with this new model, and I'm afraid we have no information about global production volume, except to say that it's one of our biggest-selling cars globally," he says.