We've been catching more than a few glimpses lately of the upcoming Hyundai Sonata, of course, all thanks to our intrepid spy photographers.
Here is a set of pics that also give us a peek inside the new Sonata, snapped while Hyundai was apparently doing its own photo shoot for Sonata promotional materials.
Interesting to note is how automakers get those great, well-lit shots of their dashboards into their brochures. No we know. They cut off the whole roof of the car!
And what about the Sonata?
Well, what we see is the evolution of Hyundai design here and the cabin interior comes with a style that carries some elegance, refinement, even if it is a little austere. It's up to you to level you calumnies at Hyundai for copying other automakers, in particular the German premium brands. We shall make no such accusations here. But have a look at the rear trunk and tail lights and ask yourself which three-lettered Bavarian brand does that remind you of?
Last week, we also got to have a looksee under the hood of the Sonata Hybrid, a product that bodes well for Hyundai's eco-cred. The hybrid Sonata will likely be powered by some variation on the Hybrid Blue Drive Architecture Hyundai introduced last year. That means either the 2.4 liter Theta II engine or a 2.0 liter Theta Turbo GDI married to a 30kW electric motor that provides an additional 205 Nm of torque. Either of those combos will come with a 6-speed transmission.
The 2011 Hyundai Sonata goes on sale late in 2010.
