DETROIT, June 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2009 Hyundai Sonata was named an
"Interior of the Year" award winner in the category of "Best Redesign" at
the annual "Auto Interior of the Year Awards" conducted by Ward's AutoWorld
magazine.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080604/LAW071)
"This award is particularly gratifying for our team," said Dan Vivian,
director of Design Engineering. "We started with a world-class car,
listened to customer feedback telling us they wanted an improved interior,
and went to work to make the 2009 Hyundai Sonata stand up and stand out
against every other car in its class."
The 2009 Hyundai Sonata redesign was led by the team at Hyundai's
America Technical Center Inc. (HATCI) in Superior Township, Mich. HATCI's
role is to design, develop and test Hyundai products sold in North America.
The 2009 Sonata was the first Hyundai product program led by the team in
North America. The Sonata is built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama,
near Montgomery.
"Talk about a comeback!" Ward's AutoWorld Editor-in-Chief Drew Winter
writes on his Sonata scoresheet. "Hyundai has gone from mediocre to
best-in-class with Sonata."
Ward's editors also noted the new Sonata has everything a buyer wants
in this daily-driver sector: a spacious back seat and trunk, good
ergonomics, snug seats, premium-looking gauges, a sleek sense of style and
quality materials. The Sonata cabin is warm and inviting -- like comfort
food at the end of a hard day -- and manages to raise Hyundai's brand image
as a benchmark for interior design.
Ward's editors served as judges for the competition, evaluating 36
vehicles in March and April. The pool consisted of completely new vehicles
or existing models that received significant interior redesigns for '08.
Editors submitted score sheets ranking the materials selected,
ergonomics, safety, value, comfort, fit-and-finish and design harmony for
each vehicle evaluated. Points also were awarded based on a driver's
ability to quickly access vital information, such as navigation routes,
diagnostic data and fuel economy.
NEW, WELL-CRAFTED INTERIOR STILL A "CLASS ABOVE"
The focus of the redesign of the 2009 Sonata was on the interior where
Hyundai's designers re-crafted the cabin area to create an upscale ambiance
for the driver and passengers. Eyes are drawn to clean and sophisticated
flow-through center console and instrument panel design, which borrows
design cues and rich materials from the premium Hyundai Veracruz.
"We were inspired by the beautiful forms of the interior in the
Veracruz and challenged to deliver comparable design execution in the
mainstream Sonata," said Chris Zarlenga, who heads Hyundai's design studio
in Michigan. "Great design does not have to cost a great deal of money to
the company or the customer. This new Sonata proves that point."
Sonata is classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a Large
Car, truly a "class above" its competitors, including Toyota Camry, Nissan
Altima, Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Malibu (all are categorized as mid-size
cars). Even in trunk room, Sonata shines. Sonata's 16.3 cubic feet of trunk
space give it an 8 percent advantage over the Toyota Camry, and a 16
percent advantage over Honda Accord.
Music lovers will welcome the 2009 Sonata's inclusion of standard
auxiliary input jacks (3.5 mm mini-jack and USB input) to accommodate and
charge audio devices such as iPods(R). When an iPod or flash drive is
connected through the USB port, which is located in the center storage
compartment, not only does it play music through the vehicle's six-speaker
audio system, but it charges the device and allows the driver to access
tracks with the steering wheel audio controls. This system also allows both
driver and passengers to easily view song/artist/title information and
control the music from the audio head unit rather than only the iPod
itself.
Among the other refinements are the addition of dual-zone climate
controls for the driver and front-seat passenger, and two-stage front seat
warmers. A new factory-installed touch screen navigation system with a
state-of-the-art voice recognition interface is now available as well. This
interface allows the driver to select a destination, and change audio
selections, by voice command without taking hands off the wheel or eyes off
the road.
Hyundai engineers also listened to customer feedback on seat comfort
and were able to redesign the front seat angles and cushion length to
improve comfort.
More contrast has been added to the Camel and Gray interiors, and for
the first time ever, Cocoa Brown is available. The front cupholders are
also upgraded for more capacity and holding power. Hyundai's signature blue
backlighting for interior gauges, switches and buttons highlights the
vehicle's modern interior design.
CHOICE OF TWO MORE POWERFUL AND FUEL-EFFICIENT POWERTRAINS
The 2009 Sonata debuts Hyundai's second-generation Theta four-cylinder
engine. The Theta II 2.4-liter DOHC inline four-cylinder engine delivers
more horsepower and quicker acceleration, while also improving fuel
economy. In fact, the Sonata I4 is now more fuel-efficient than both Camry
and Accord four-cylinder engines, delivering an impressive 22 mpg city/32
mpg highway fuel economy rating with the standard five-speed manual
transmission or the newly available five-speed automatic transmission with
SHIFTRONIC(R). A version of this engine also meets Partial Zero Emission
Vehicle (PZEV) standards.
Sonata's 3.3-liter V6 engine has also been improved for more
performance and efficiency. It now pumps out 15 more horsepower and three
more pound-feet of torque (249 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and 229 lb.-ft. of
torque at 4,500 rpm). New mileage figures for V6-powered Sonatas are 19 mpg
city/29 mpg highway, which represents unsurpassed V6 fuel economy in the
mid-size sedan segment.
HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA
Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a
subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed
throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and
serviced through more than 790 dealerships nationwide.
WARD'S AUTOMOTIVE GROUP
Ward's Automotive Group is a world-leading provider of auto industry
news, data and analysis, having served the industry's information needs for
nearly 80 years. Ward's AutoWorld is a monthly magazine serving more than
68,000 automotive professionals. WardsAuto.com is an online subscription
service delivering virtually all the industry news, data and analysis
compiled by Ward's Automotive Group, the world's leader in automotive
industry information. A Southfield, MI - based division of Penton Media,
Inc., Ward's Automotive Group also publishes the weekly industry newsletter
Ward's Automotive Reports, the monthly magazine Ward's Dealer Business, and
offers a wealth of other automotive information services including
reference annuals, online databases, and customized data reports.
SOURCE Hyundai Motor America
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Related links:
http://www.hyundainews.com
http://wardsauto.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080604/LAW071
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org AP PhotoExpress
Network: PRN17 PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Miles Johnson of Hyundai Motor America,
+1-714-965-3366, cell, +1-714-366-1048, milesjohnson@hmausa.com
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