Hyundai i40 – more detail +photos

Last week we reported on the Hyundai i40 – the new Sonata – with a spy shot that had been taken at the Hyundai factory. Well, today has more news – both official and unofficial.

Hyundai has released sketches of the i40 as a tease ahead of the launch at the Frankfurt Motor Show this month, but unfortunately for them we’ve received the picture you see at the top – and those in the photo gallery at the bottom – that show the real deal. Which sort of takes the edge off the ‘Stylised’ sketches Hyundai has released.

The real deal is not quite as swoopy/futuristic as the real deal, but actually the real car is pretty impressive looking. Aimed at the likes of the VW Passat and the Mazda 6, this is a very convincing effort from the Koreans. The i40 has the fashionable four-door coupe silhouette with a strong and convincing front end. It does seem a little removed from the family nose we see on the new Hyundai ix35, so perhaps these pictures are of the Korean version, with the European version getting something more in keeping. The rear is stubby but decent looking and the whole design seems pretty cohesive.

We don’t have any concrete news yet on what engines will be available on the i40, but you can be pretty sure they’ll include at least a couple of turbo diesels and probably a petrol V6.

The Hyundai i40 / Sonata is stacking up to be another big success for Hyundai. What with the ix35/Tucson and the big-selling i10 and i20, the Koreans are rapidly pushing the Japanese aside.

Hyundai i40 / Sonata Leaked Photo Image Gallery

Hyundai i40 / Sonata Sketches