The eighth-generation Hyundai Sonata was launched precisely four years ago in South Korea, so it’s high time for a mid-cycle update. While most facelifts bring evolutionary changes, we have it on good authority the midsize sedan will go through significant modifications at the front. You can tell by the bulky camouflage of this prototype stalked on a rainy day in California that the styling tweaks will be substantial.
As shown in the adjacent renderings based on a spy shot of an undisguised prototype, the 2024 Sonata will get a futuristic front end with a wide light bar à la Kona or Staria. Those will serve as the daytime running lights as the main cluster will be mounted lower. Yes, yet another car with split headlights is coming soon. You can see cutouts in the camouflage revealing sections of the DRLs atop the low/high beams.
Earlier this month, our spies caught a prototype with even more camo plastered all over the body. Nevertheless, that test vehicle did include a juicy tidbit as there was a sticker on the windshield, revealing an all-wheel-drive setup. That has been a long time coming considering the mechanically related Kia K5 is available with AWD.
The camo-free car spotted at home in South Korea was likely captured during a photoshoot. If our assumption is correct, it means Hyundai will officially unveil the 2024 Sonata in the weeks or months to come. When that happens, expect to see a heavily redesigned interior with a wide side-by-side screen setup dominating the dashboard akin to other recent Hyundai and Kia models.
The Korean brand still has hopes for the good ol’ sedan body style in the SUV age as the updated Sonata will slot above the recently facelifted Elantra and below the Grandeur flagship. Lest we forget the fully electric Ioniq 6 is technically a sedan as well, despite its swoopy liftback silhouette.
However, a report from Automotive News published in May 2022 claimed the Sonata might not be long for this world, speculating it’ll be dropped altogether by 2027 or 2028. Before that, the end is nigh for the model in the US, although nothing is official.
