2009 Sonata

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Hyundai has announced that the 2009 Sonata will cost up to $1600 more than last year’s model.
That’s for the Limited.
But the base model is now a few dollars more than a Camry and about $700 more than the new Malibu.

I think these guys are either way ahead of the public perception of their brand. Or they live in the Bizzaro world where people actually pay the same for a Sonata than a Camry.

No matter how many “car lovers” and blog readers hate the Camry, it is still the main choice for people buying an affordable family car.
And no matter what they think, buying a Hyundai still means to most people “they couldn’t afford anything else” whether it is true or not.
I think they still have ways to go before they can get away with charging as much as Japanese brands. Not because of quality, but because of brand perception. And poor resale value as well.

Good luck….

Conversation 12 comments

  1. I think Hyundai has made leaps and bounds since their Excel offering back in the late 80’s. I think consumers would be foolish to not at least consider the Sonata when also shopping the Camry Accord, Malibu, etc. Granted however, most consumers are sheep when it comes to image and are afraid people will look down on them because they drive a “Hyundai”.

    With that being said, I’m quite sure Hyundai routinely offers incentives of various size on their vehicles. Could it be that they are just looking to keep tabs on their profits by bumping up prices, then offering their obligatory incentives. Would make sense to me, you’re still undercutting the competition, albeit with the same rebates you typically offer and not losing as much money as you were with the lower MSRPs and those same rebates.

    Who knows, their products may not be trendsetters in the design department, but with Honda’s hideous new Accord, Toyota’s bland Camry (And recent reliability problems) as well as Chevy’s Toyota Camry Clone wannabe (New Malibu), the Hyundai no longer seems like such a bad option.

  2. If I had to chose between the imports, I would definitely pick the Sonata. I have always liked how the current model looks and this one is just more beefed up. Seems like with the Genesis on the way, they might get ahead of their competition or just get ahead of themselves.

  3. how about a message fromt the good old us of a why dont you feed your people before you try to focre these crapy cars f down our throats

  4. quote ” douchebag Jones said…
    how about a message fromt the good old us of a why dont you feed your people before you try to focre these crapy cars f down our throats
    February 7, 2008 10:51 PM”
    end quote

    dbj that was an ignorant comment plus you also have the wrong country. South Korea is a U.S. friendly country and has 50,000 troops stationed there for over 50 years. There are many major US firm in South Korea as well.

    Now North Korea on the other hand is the ‘enemy’. Literally. They are still living in the era of Stalin, behind an iron curtain. It is their people who are starving, on the brink of meltdown and incidentally have nuclear weapons.

    Now back on topic: This Sonata with the improvement to the interior and less so the exterior is probably the one that should have been released.

    However, this car looks a lot more upscale than the current version. The upgraded interior looks slick.

    This car packs a lot of good value and having test driven the earlier models, 2006 and 2007 I can say it is one nice riding, solid and quality built vehicle.

    The pricing may have increased but I think it may help with pumping up the resale value plus incentives, when they arrive will probably stabilize profits.

  5. DBJ, have you ever been to South Korea you idiot? South Korea is widely considered the most technologically advanced country in the world. They generally have public access to technology 3-4 years before we even see it in the US market. Generally, SOUTH Korea is a fairly wealthy country per capita and by no means are South Koreans “starving” on a wide spread basis, no more than we have starving homeless here in the USA. Enroll at your local community college (If they will accept your illiterate ass) and take a world geography course.

    At least South Korea doesn’t send production to other third world countries to pad the bottom line of wealthy executive’s paychecks. Too bad it’s almost impossible to purchase a “domestic” vehicle that isn’t made in that craphole we call Mexico. You want to talk about people starving? What about those US auto laborers who are losing their jobs to Mexicans who will work for pennies.

    You my friend are a moron. While most foreign manufacturers are increasing production here in the states, the Big Three keep sending more production to Mexico. I could care less who owns the company, I just want a vehicle built by an American, for an American.

  6. korenas have thier cars made in chinaa just liek everyone else making a buck while their people are satarving

  7. More than a Camry? Holy crap. That just slipped the Sonata to the bottom of the list of consideration (before it was ahead of the Accord and Camry). Malibu and Mazda 6 are at the top.

  8. Really now, the only reason anyone considers a Hyundai is because of price and the warranty. The Sonata is a pretty smart looking car. But, let’s be honest, it’s not the best built, very refined or most advanced sedan you can buy. Not that I love the Camry, but there is no way anyone with an ounce of sense would consider a more expensive old-platform Sonata to be a smarter purchase than a Camry or Accord. And Vince, I disagree with your last statement. After their horrendous quality in the not too distant past, Hyundai has a long way to go to prove to a lot of people that their good quality ratings haven’t been just from a good PR campaign. I will probably never consider one again and am very vocal about my bad experiences to people who suggest they might consider one.

    As for the style update… It appears that they’ve modified only the plastic bits that are cheap to change. It remains a decent looking car.

  9. What’s this “Old Platform”? The Sonata was new for 2006 and the Camry was new for 2007….Now it’s 2008 so techinically they are both “old” but so was the Fox platform and no one blinked when that became over a decade old!

    Car companies CAN change. My parents just bought a 2008 Mercury Sable. The last ford product they owned was bought in 1982. His Econoline had transmission problems out the yin-yang and my father said he’d never buy another Ford or American Vehicle again (he ended up purchasing 4 over the years after that statement). Ford and GM (more so GM) are trying to change for the better…but look at how long it took them compared with the Japanese and Koreans! I’m sure when the Chinese finally make a decent vehicle for us, people are going to say that same thing about the Sonata as they are saying about the Camry now….but most already are!

  10. The 2009 Sonata is not much more expensive than the ’08 if you adjust for added equipment. The 4-cyl GLS automatic lists at $19,370 (prices released to dealers on 1/18/08) versus $18,870 for the ’08. It now has a 5-speed automatic, a significant improvement. The Limited 4-cylinder is $23,970 versus $22,470, but the sunroof is now standard. Biggest increase is on the SE series (V6 is $23,170 vs $22, 220) as the only functional change is a sport-tuned suspension. Add about $600 destination; current rebate is $2,000 on the ’08. The ’09 will probably open with little or no rebate, but it should increase as the ’08s are depleted.

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