Hyundai Sonata Debuts at Guangzhou Show in China
- Game-changing Sonata enters world's biggest market
- New five-door Verna follows base model's popularity
(Seoul, Korea) Hyundai Motor Company introduced two new models to the Chinese market at the 8th China (Guangzhou) International Automobile Exhibition: Its best-selling mid-size Sonata sedan and the five-door Verna.
The Sonata has enjoyed critical acclaim and surging sales, thanks to its superb styling, dynamic performance and exceptional value. The five-door Verna - built exclusively for the Chinese market -- was a natural follow-up to the success of the four-door version, which rolled out in August. Both the Sonata and Verna will be built in Beijing and go on sale as early as January.
"The game-changing, all-new Sonata will shift the landscape of the Chinese mid-size sedan market as it did in the U.S.," said Jae-man Noh, President of Beijing Hyundai Motor Company, a 50-50 joint venture between Hyundai Motor and Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. "Since its debut in the U.S. in February, the Sonata has posted explosive sales, becoming one of the best-selling sedans in a fiercely competitive segment in the U.S. We expect similar success when Sonata hits the Chinese market."
Noh said Hyundai's 2010 sales in China likely will top 700,000 units, up from 570,000 in 2009, thanks to popular models such as the Yuedong, ix35 and Verna. Hyundai will have an annual capacity of 1 million vehicles after its third plant in China is completed in 2012.
The critically acclaimed Sonata comes with 2.0-liter and 2.4-liter Theta-II engines and a six-speed automatic transmission. It sports a range of convenient features, including a three-piece panoramic sunroof, smart key and welcome function. The Sonata also offers best-in-class safety, being only one of two models that received a five-star crash test rating under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA)'s New Car Assessment Program.
The five-door Verna comes with 1.4-liter and 1.6-liter Gamma engines. The 1.4-liter model delivers a peak output of 78.7Kw(108ps) and a maximum torque of 135.4N.m(13.9kg.m). The 1.6-liter model boasts 90.4Kw(124ps) and 155N.m(15.9kg.m).
The 1.4-liter base model Verna achieves fuel economy of 15.4km/?. With the fuel-economy package, mileage rises to 16.1km/?, best in its class.
The theme of the Ghangzhou Motor Show was "Tech & Future." In addition to the new Sonata and Verna five-door, Hyundai showed a total of 19 models, including the Sonata Hybrid and BlueOn full-speed electric vehicle, demonstrating its cutting-edge eco-friendly technology.
