Hyundai Sonata: from a luxury Stellar to a global mid-size car

The Hyundai Sonata is the mid-size car Hyundai has built since 1985, named after the musical form. The first generation was a more luxurious Stellar sold only briefly in Korea; the second, of 1988, was the first Sonata widely exported, styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro and engineered with Mitsubishi’s help. The eighth generation, introduced in 2019 and facelifted in 2023, is the current car.

Hyundai Sonata at a glance

History of the Hyundai Sonata

The first Sonata was presented in Korea on 4 November 1985 as a more luxurious version of the Stellar, built to compete with the Daewoo Royale series. It offered cruise control, power seats, headlamp washers, power brakes, electrically adjustable mirrors and chrome bumper trims, in Luxury and Super trims, the latter with the two-litre engine only. Hyundai marketed it as a “luxury car for VIP”, but because it was a Stellar with few major changes the public saw it as exactly that, and sales fell; a two-tone colour scheme and a trip computer were added in 1987 before the car was dropped that December. Engine choices were Mitsubishi units of 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 litres.

The second generation of 1988 was the car that made the Sonata a Hyundai for the world. It was launched in Korea on 1 June 1988, reached Canada that September as a 1989 model and was built there too, was shown in the United States on 14 November 1988 and went on sale in Australia in March 1989. Its exterior was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign, and the engineering was Mitsubishi’s, including the platform of the Galant Σ and its 2.4-litre engine, built under licence in Korea. A three-litre V6 based on the Mitsubishi 6G72 arrived in 1990. In Europe, where the Sonata was launched in June 1989, it was aimed at buyers of the Ford Granada Scorpio but priced against smaller cars such as the Ford Sierra. Canadian cars were built at Bromont in Quebec until the plant closed in September 1993.

The third generation, the Y3 of 1993, used a 2.0-litre Sirius four of 105 hp as its base engine in most markets with an optional three-litre Mitsubishi V6 of 145 hp, and it was also built as the Hyundai Marcia between 1995 and 1998, sold only in Korea with different front and rear ends. A 1996 facelift raised the four-cylinder output to 125 hp. Korean owners of the Sonata III famously removed the S and III badges for luck before university entrance exams, which led Hyundai to offer free replacement badges.

The fourth generation arrived in 1998, and the line has continued through to the eighth generation of 2019, facelifted in 2023. That car is sold with petrol, hybrid and N Line versions depending on the market. The Sonata has been built in Korea, China and Pakistan, and was made in the United States from 2005 until 2022, when production ended at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama.

Design and features

• Stellar origins: the first Sonata was a plusher Stellar for the Korean market.
• Giugiaro styling: the 1988 export car was drawn by Italdesign.
• Mitsubishi engineering: the early cars used Mitsubishi platforms and engines.
• Eight generations: from 1985 to the current DN8 with hybrid power.

Hyundai Sonata versions

• Sonata Y1 (1985–1987): the Korea-only first generation.
• Sonata Y2 (1988–1993): the first widely exported car, built in Korea and Canada.
• Sonata Y3 (1993–1998): new body, with the Marcia as its Korean luxury twin.
• Sonata EF (1998): the fourth generation.
• Sonata DN8 (2019): the eighth generation, with petrol and hybrid versions.

The Sonata grew out of the Stellar, and Hyundai’s later large cars were the Grandeur and the Genesis. More Hyundai models are in the Hyundai collection.

Video: 2014 Honda Accord vs. 2015 Hyundai Sonata

Video by AutoGuide.com on YouTube.

Sources

• Hyundai Sonata, English Wikipedia: generations, engines, markets, assembly, current model