The eight-generation Hyundai Sonata hasn’t been a sales hit so far and at least some of the blame for the lack of market success can be attributed to the model’s design. The South Korean manufacturer isn’t ready to give up on the mid-size sedan segment though and is instead working on a redesign for the model. We got our first glimpse at the facelifted Sonata through a batch of spy photos last month and now we can take a more detailed, albeit unofficial, look at the refreshed sedan.
Gotcha Cars did a very plausible rendering of what the facelifted Sonata could look like based on the information available from the spy photos. In the gallery attached below, the sedan can be seen in several different colors and our favorite pick has to be that striking red finish. But the exterior paint is probably the least important change as the vehicle features a completely new front fascia.
Gallery: 2024 Hyundai Sonata facelift renderings
The shark-like nose of the current Sonata makes room for a new boxier bumper and a massive edgy grille. On the two sides, there are small headlights and above them, in the area where the hood meets the bumper, there’s a coast-to-coast LED light strip. This isn’t a completely new design feature for Hyundai as we already saw something similar in the Staria van. For the Sonata, however, this is a major change in the design language.
There’s no rendering of the rear end but this is where the Sonata will most likely receive less significant changes. The spy photos suggested there might be new taillights and changes to the rear bumper, though the prototype that was caught by our spies had too much camouflage not letting us see much. The same also applies to the cabin but word on the street is it might get a new dual-screen layout, similar to the new Kona.
It will be interesting to see whether the major design changes will come with matching improvements under the hood. The platform won’t change with the facelift, though there might be added electrification to the existing combustion engines. The eight-generation Sonata was introduced in 2019, which probably means the facelifted model will arrive closer to the end of this year or in early 2024. As a final note, according to a report from May last year, the Sonata could be discontinued after the current generation.
