Hyundai i40 / Sonata spied

Spy shot of the front end of the new Hyundai i40

As we’ve reported before, Hyundai are on something of a roll at the moment. Their sales are storming onward and upwards despite the car world being in the biggest slump there has ever been, and not just because Hyundai are selling cheap cars when people are looking for the lowest cost option.

The fact is that Hyundais are rapidly becoming the match of their competitors from Europe and Japan. The build quality is great; the price point is great and they now have some real design flair to them.

We reviewed the Hyundai i20 back in January and found it to be a terrific little car. The i10 has been a resounding sales success – particulary with the scrappage allowance – and we’re looking for the Ford Kuga competition – the Hyunda ix35 – showing up at Frankfurt next month.

But now its getting close to the rebirth of the Hyundai Sonata – Hyundai’s Mondeo-sized offering – and it’s morphing in to a very credible, European style mid-sized offering. Gone are the staid looks and relatively cheap feel and in comes swooping lines and quality fixtures and fittings. It looks like the new Hyundai i40 (as the Sonata will be named) is getting a very credible front end and a four-door coupe profile, together with a much more upmarket feel.

Yes, the new i40 looks a little derivative from what we can see, but at the price point this mid-sized Hyundai will come in at that’s not exactly a criticism that will hurt.

Derivative didn’t do Lexus any harm, after all.

Check out the low-res pics in the gallery below for more detail. They’re not great quality – obviously snapped on a mobile – but they’re the best shots there are so far of the real Hyundai i40.