ne of the Korean auto industry's best known success stories will soon hit
Indian roads when Hyundai Motor India Ltd begins rolling out its best-selling
Sonata super saloon from the middle of this year onwards. This will be the
brand new sixth generation Sonata now with a complete facelift which has
just gone on sale in Korea since January this year. It will also mark the
third distinctly new model HMIL will usher into the Indian market in as
many years.
To mark the move into the new super premium D-segment of the Indian car
market, HMIL had invited a quartet of Indian journos (including yours truly)
to Korea to drive and get an initial feel of the new product. It will be
launched near simultaneously in Europe and the US in late May 2001 followed
by a roll-out from the Chennai plant in July for well-heeled Indian car
buyers.
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| Jaguaresque
rear end pretty obvious in this shot. Centre crease running down the
flank alongwith near lengthwise rubbing strip plus slightly pronounced
skirting below the doors marks out the Sonata in profile. |
Being
first off the mark with this move into the D-segment has also helped Hyundai
Motor India put pressure on the other car makers who also harbour a desire
and need to get into this virgin segment. There is no denying the fact that
this segment is good enough for anything between 18,000 to 23,000 cars per
annum, according to various industry estimates and HMIL is looking to achieve
some 20 to 25 per cent of this chunk with its Sonata. Having driven and
checked out the car in its homeland, I can confidently say that this is
a car which is
not to be sneered at!
The new Sonata is a car seething with presence right from the first time
you lay eyes on her. There are evidently strong hints that the Hyundai designers
had looked at some of the latest Euro offerings and been inspired by them.
The inspiration starts right from the front end with the sexily sculpted
twin headlamps borrowing from the Mercedes S- and C-class cars along with
the curvy creases on the bonnet a la the Jaguar S-type while the C-pillar
is reminiscent of another German saloon and the rear end treatment is again
Jaguar S-type inspired, replete with the tail lamp treatment. However to
say that all these design elements from so many cars could just come and
fall into place does the Hyundai designers a great disservice.
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