A view of the new Sonata, which was released at KINTEX in Goyang, north of Seoul, on March 21.

“Sonata is expected to shed the conventional concept of a popular car.”

Executive Vice President Lee Sang-yup, head of Hyundai Motor Design Center, made the remarks at a ceremony to release the eighth-generation new Sonata at KINTEX in Goyang, north of Seoul, on March 21. The all-new Sonata, born in 1985, is now 34. The new Sonata is poised to renew its identity.

Hyundai Motor aims to sell 70,000 Sonata units this year.

The new Sonata underwent a drastic redesign in the five years since the seventh-generation Sonata made its debut in 2014. The new Sonata’s design, dubbed “Sensuous Sportiness,” was inspired by last year’s Le Fil Rouge concept that was first unveiled during the Geneva Motor Show. It stresses an image of a sporty sedan outfitted with the automaker’s all advanced technologies.

Senior Executive Vice President Lee Gwang-guk, chief of Hyundai Motor’s Domestic Sales Division, said in a meeting with reporters that the new Sonata will not release taxi models to enhance its brand-new image. Hyundai Motor has set a target of selling 70,000 units, except taxis, this year, he said.

As of March 11, 10 days since pre-sales were launched, a combined 12,323 units were booked across the nation.

An eye-catching new technology the new Sonata has adopted is “Hyundai Digital Key,” allowing drivers to use their smartphone-based digital key via the near-field communication (NFC) technology by downloading a mobile app. The app can unlock and start the car.

The new Sonata is also outfitted with the shift by wire (SBW) system, an automatic transmission, sans the gear knob and a built-in dash cam. It has dramatically improved self-driving functions.

The new Sonata adopts self-driving functions such as Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Rear Cross-traffic Collision-avoidance Assist. Lane Keeping Assist, and Remote Smart Parking Assist (RSPA) are also part of the vehicle. The RSPA allows occupants who find it hard to get on or get off a narrow space to give more convenience by moving the car forward or backward via the smart key.

Through a partnership with Kakao, the new car has a voice recognition home to car (H2C) air conditioning system, signaling a feature of “smart mobility.”

Voice recognition assist services, using the Kakao AI platform “Kakao I” allows conversational commands such “turning on the air conditioner.” The platform lets drivers request information and receive optimal answers by touching the voice recognition button beside the steering wheel.

All engines of the new Sonata are replaced with “Smartstream,” the next-generation engine of Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors to enhance is mileage up to 13.3 km/l. Hyundai Motor has available the Gasoline 2.0 and LPI 2.0 models. The gasoline 2.0 model can deliver 160 hoursepower and 20 kilogram-force meters of torque.

Prices range from 23.46 million won to 32.89 million won for the gasoline 2.0 model and from 21.4 million won to 31.7 million won for the LPI 2.0 model, including excise tax and value-added tax.

A view of the all-new Sonata, the eight-generation Sonata. (Photos: Hyundai Motor)