Spied - Hyundai's new sub-Sonata sedan caught testing in China

09/10/2012 - 12:50 | ,  ,   | Nithyanandh K

According to Chinese media reports, Hyundai is reportedly cooking up a sedan which will sit in the narrow gap between the Hyundai Elantra and the Hyundai Sonata.

Hyundai's new Chinese Sedan rearHyundai's new Chinese Sedan grill

The new sedan is rumored to hit the stands in 2014 and will be manufactured by the Beijing-Hyundai joint venture which also builds the Elantra and Sonata.

The high end Elantra is sold in China at 149,800 Yuan (Rs. 12.48 lakhs) and the least expensive Sonata retails at 166,900 Yuan (Rs. 13.91 lakhs). The new Hyundai sedan is speculated to be priced between 130,000 Yuan (Rs.10.83 lakhs) to 160,000 Yuan (Rs. 13.34 lakhs).

Three petrol engine options expected - 2.0 litre, a 1.8 litre and a turbocharged 1.6 litre. The 1.6 turbo is particularly interesting because it's not found on either the Sonata or the Elantra. It might possibly be the 204 bhp unit found in the Hyundai Veloster.

From the spy shots, the car looks more like a scaled down, slightly less flamboyant version of the Sonata. The three strips in the grill and the hidden oval logo suggests it's a fluidic Hyundai.

The new sub-Sonata sedan will be a China-specific model and will not climb over The Great Wall to make it into other markets.

Hyundai's strategy of positioning the sedan in such a narrow gap between the Elantra and Sonata is certainly little perplexing, but we will know more details in due course.

[Source: Carnewschina.com]

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