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Beijing Hyundai's 11th generation Sonata was officially launched on March 26th, with a total of six new models, of which 1.5T models are divided into Air, Pro and Max, which are sold for 13.98-162800 yuan, and 2.0T are sold for N Line Air, N Line Pro and N Line Max, with a price of 16.38-186800 yuan. For comparison, the starting price of the 2020 Sonata 1.5T is 161800 yuan, down 22000 yuan, and the starting price of 2.0T is 183800 yuan, down 20000 yuan. It is understood that the eleventh generation Sonata uses a new appearance and interior design, power to provide 1.5T+8AT and 2.0T+8AT two power combinations for consumers to choose.

In terms of appearance, the 11th generation Sonata adopts a new design language, the front face of the new car uses a large trapezoidal intake grille, and the front grille and the front bumper form an integrated design effect, resulting in a higher degree of recognition. The headlamp group adopts a split design, the upper daylight adopts a penetrating LED light source, with a large trapezoidal air inlet below, and the front grille and front bumper are integrated into an integrated design. It is understood that the new Sonata will provide ordinary version and N Line version for consumers to choose from, the latter will mainly blacken the details in appearance to make it look more athletic.

On the side of the body, the new Sonata uses a sedan body, the roof is pressed down from the front row, and the outline of the body is not much different from that of the current model. The rear part, the new Sonata rear styling movement, the use of through-type taillight group, as well as the black duckling tail spoiler around the top of the taillight, with black painting on the bottom of the rear bumper to increase the sense of movement and layering. In addition, the N Line version uses a bilateral four-outlet exhaust layout, which is more sporty, while the 1.5T model does not use exposed exhaust. In terms of size, the length, width and height of the new car are 4945/1860/1445mm and the wheelbase is 2875mm.

In terms of interior decoration, the new Sonata uses an integrated screen design composed of a 12.3-inch dashboard and a 12.3-inch central control screen, together with a new style of three-spoke multi-function direction, making the car look very textured. At the same time, the car also uses a brand-new shift mechanism, equipped with head-up display, 12-speaker Bose Premium sound system and other configurations. It is understood that 1.5T seats provide two colors of black and Shuya gray, while seats of 2.0T provide extremely fast gray (with red stitches).

In terms of power, the 11th generation Sonata will provide 1.5T and 2.0T engines. Among them, the 1.5T engine has a maximum power of 170hp (125kW) and a peak torque of 253Nm, matching the 7DCT double clutch transmission. The 2.0T engine is equipped with a 8AT gearbox with a maximum power of 240hp (176.5 kW) and a peak torque of 353Nm.

Sonata is a medium-sized car owned by Hyundai, and it is the first mass-produced model after the establishment of Hyundai in Beijing. Sonata provides 2.0L and 2.7L power in China, of which 2.0L version is the most popular. Due to the small demand of domestic consumers for high-engine models, Sonata later introduced 2.5L to directly replace 2.7L. In 2008, Sonata simply stopped production of the 2.5L model, and the starting price fell to 126800 yuan.

The fifth generation Sonata was produced in China until 2009, when Sonata could no longer keep up with the development of the market, so Beijing Hyundai launched Yuxiang (sixth generation) and leading Xiang (seventh generation) based on the independent research and development of the fifth generation Sonata. In order to change the decline of Sonata in the domestic market, but because they are special models, sales of these two generations of models in the domestic market are still poor.

In April 2011, Beijing Hyundai launched the eighth generation Sonata, with a price range of 16.69-249900 yuan, reversing the decline in sales, selling more than 100000 vehicles for two consecutive years, although it is still unable to compete with Camry, Accord and other models, but it is indeed significantly better than before. In March 2015, the ninth generation Sonata was launched, offering 1.6T, 2.0L and 2.4L power for consumers to choose from. The price range is 17.48-249800 yuan, which is sold in the same room with the eighth generation Sonata. The two-generation models are sold for different market segments and people. However, sales of this generation of Sonata are still not good.

Five years later, Beijing Hyundai launched the 10th generation Sonata, with a price range of 16.18-205800 yuan. As a new replacement model, the overall shape of the new car is younger, offering a power combination of 1.5T engine + 7DCT double clutch transmission and 2.0T engine + 8AT gearbox. However, the sales of the tenth generation Sonata are not optimistic, and the tenth generation Sonata directly skips the medium-term modification. According to the data, Sonata sold 5138 and 2966 vehicles respectively from 2022 to 2023.

From the appearance point of view, the eleventh generation of Santana does look a lot better, but it is obviously not enough to make consumers pay for it. As a medium-sized car, Sonata's competitors include Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Teana, Volkswagen Passat, etc., among which Toyota Camry and Honda Accord have been replaced one after another, especially the Camry, which has achieved the same price for gas and electricity, and compared with Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen and other brands, the biggest advantage of Hyundai brand is price, if there is no price advantage. Probably not many consumers will be willing to pay the bill. At the same time, the rise of independent brands has also increased a lot of pressure on Sonata, especially in the context of electrification. It is not easy for Sonata to gain a foothold in the domestic market in the future, and it is obviously not a long-term solution to reverse the decline in sales through a new generation.

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