2020 Hyundai Sonata unveiled ahead of official launch at New York Auto Show

Ahead of the New York Auto Show, Hyundai has unveiled the eighth generation of the Sonata Sedan. The new 2020 Hyundai Sonata is based on the Le Fil Rogue concept showcased at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show and features styling very similar to the concept car.

Hyundai has not revealed any technical details so let's get that out of the way first. The sedan is expected to be powered by the same 2-litre petrol engine and a 1.6-litre diesel. There is also an expectation of a 2-litre petrol hybrid engine.

In terms of design, compared to the boxy styling of the older Sonata, the new sedan is styled more like a four-door coupe. It features a large, cascading grille and LED DRLs that extend all the way down the A-pillar. This is something that Hyundai has dubbed 'hidden lighting'. According to the company, the lamps look like ordinary chrome strips when switched off, but become 'dramatically lit' when switched on.

The roofline flows seamlessly down to the back to end sharply over the boot lid. The rear diffuser too is aggressively styled and the tail lamps run across the width of the car.

For the inside, the new Sonata gets a dual-tone dashboard finish with beige leather and grey plastics. At the centre console is a large touchscreen infotainment unit paired to a Bose sound system. The system is adaptive and changes the equaliser settings according to the speed of the car. It also uses digital signal processing to position the listener in the centre of the audio regardless of their position.

The Hyundai Sonata was first launched in India in 2001 but was discontinued in 2015 due to slowing sales. In international markets, however, the new sedan is set to go on sale in the second half of 2019.