Even though Americans continue to choose SUVs over regular cars, Hyundai has kept the Sonata midsize sedan alive. Introduced for the 2020 model year, the current generation is apparently not bold enough and needs a major redesign, which will appear on the 2024 Hyundai Sonata.
The midsize sedan segment isn’t as large as it used to be, which prompted all Detroit brands to leave while they focus on profitable crossovers. Sonata sales are currently tanking at 55,131 units for 2022, a fraction of the record achieved in 2012 (230,605 units), and a near-all-time low.
Despite being a much older design, the Toyota Camry managed far better results: 296,201 cars were sold to Americans last year. And the imminent launch of the 2023/2024 Honda Accord with its new hybrid drive, makes updating the Sonata a top priority at Hyundai HQ.
The new 2024 Sonata has been spotted undergoing Arctic testing in the past few weeks. And while test prototypes were covered in a thick layer of camouflage, this isn’t enough to stop us from seeing the finished car. Several rendering artists have snooped for clues and concluded the car will now look like this.
The new face of Hyundai
You’re looking at a 2024 Hyundai Sonata rendering by Kolesa. While German most automakers only make minor alterations during facelifts, Hyundai went full BMW on this front end, changing its entire design. One long strip of LEDs now goes across the front end and smaller lights are integrated into the bumper. You look at this and go “How is this even legal? Which ones are the headlights?”
Around the back, changes are a little more subtle. However, the Sonata still has a certain “Cybertruck” thing going on, with pixelated taillights reminiscent of the Ioniq 6 electric sedan. And these renderings aren’t even that speculative because the 2024 Hyundai Kona has already been showing features with nearly identical light bars.
While the platform stays the same, it will be interesting to see if Hyundai makes major powertrain changes. The turbocharged 1.6-liter making 180 horsepower could become the standard engine since low-volume cars generally need few engine choices. While the base 2.5-liter is decent, we like it more in the turbocharged form under the hood of the Sonata N-Line, where it delivers 290 horsepower. Despite basically being class-leading in terms of power and displacement, that performance model could be better calibrated to ensure it can dump power more easily when you launch.