Hyundai Motor Company's midsize sedan Sonata shows signs of revival this year. Sonata, whose sales plummeted due to the decline in the popularity of sedans and midsize cars, saw a surge in sales this year thanks to its new design and increased demand for taxis.

According to IR data from the Korea Automobile Mobility Industry Association (KAMA) and Hyundai Motor Company on the 31st, a total of 38,933 units of the 8th generation (DN8) Sonata were sold in Korea from January to September this year, a 57.4% increase compared to the same period last year (24,732 units). increased.

Sonata sales increased in all models during this period, including gasoline 1.6 turbo, 2.0, 2.5, hybrid, and 2.0 LPG. In particular, the 1.6 turbo model surged 143.2% from 4,584 units in January to September last year to 11,146 units in January to September this year.

Hybrid models also increased by 44.2% from 4,283 to 6,175 units during the same period. The Sonata taxi model, which was reimported from China and released domestically in April of this year, also recorded high sales of 12,199 units.

Sonata, which has suffered from a recent slump, is seeing an upward trend in sales this year. Until April of this year, Sonata hovered outside the top 10 in domestic sales with sales of 1,000 to 4,000 units. However, in May, it jumped to 7th place with 5,820 units sold, and in June and July, it ranked 5th with sales of 5,712 units and 5,532 units, respectively.

In August, Sonata sold 6,317 units, a 110.5% increase compared to the same period last year, becoming Korea's best-selling car. It has been 58 months since October 2019 that Sonata ranked first in domestic sales.

The revival of Sonata, the longest-running passenger car brand, is also considered meaningful in the industry. Sonata, first released in 1985, celebrates its 40th anniversary next year. Currently, the vehicles released up to the 8th generation have accumulated sales of about 9.5 million units, ranking third after the Avante and Accent based on Hyundai models.

In particular, the Sonata was truly the ‘people’s car’, ranking first in Korea’s best-selling car 13 times since 2000. The Sonata, which reigned as the most popular car with sales of over 100,000 units every year, recorded its highest sales of 151,886 units in 2010 and then took a downward turn. Sonata sales, which fell to 89,400 units in 2013, have consistently averaged around 80,000 units per year since then, falling to 67,440 units in 2020, 63,109 units in 2021, 48,308 units in 2022, and 39,641 units last year. 

The Sonata's revival played a big role in design changes due to target audience adjustments and taxi models reimported from China. Hyundai Motor Company changed the target group of Sonata from those in their 40s to those in their 20s to 30s and launched the ‘Sonata The Edge,’ a partially modified model of the 8th generation Sonata in April last year. The Sonata The Edge is characterized by emphasizing the feel of a sports sedan in accordance with Hyundai Motor Company's design identity ‘Sensuous Sportiness’, and has received great attention from the younger generation.

In April of this year, Hyundai Motor Company also launched the taxi-only model ‘DT23’ produced at its factory in Beijing, China. The company discontinued the domestic Sonata taxi model produced at its Asan factory in July last year. This model, which has an increased wheelbase (distance between axles) of 70 mm compared to the previous model and is equipped with an LPG 2.0 engine and a 6-speed automatic transmission exclusively for taxis, is gaining popularity among taxi driver customers due to its excellent cost-effectiveness.

An industry official said, “The revival of the Sonata, which was once rumored to be discontinued, is meaningful to the industry as well,” and added, “It will be difficult to take first place in sales as before due to the popularity of sports utility vehicles (SUVs), but it will maintain its position as a representative sedan.”

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