For the eighth series of the Sonata – the medium-large saloon that Hyundai has been offering for more than thirty years – the Korean company is now launching its new design philosophy, that \u201csensual sportiness\u201d that was launched last year in Geneva with the Le Fil Rouge concept. This is a language that, in the words of Luc Donckerwolke, head of design for the Hyundai group, \u201callows us to open a new era from the basis of our tradition, which is to create a distinctive and sporty character in our models.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>
![\"Sonata\"](\"http:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2019071202_HyundaiSonata.jpg\")
<\/a><\/span><\/div>Everything is following a theme, which Le Fil Rouge wanted to point out and which started way back in 1974 with the historic Pony Concept designed by Giugiaro. \u201cWith sensual sportiness,\u201d echoed SangYup Lee, Hyundai\u2019s style manager, \u201cwe want to forge an emotional value for a brand that has always been dedicated to practicality.\u201d That is why this Sonata was created in the name of a new form of harmony, whose underlying principles \u2013 as its designers explained \u2013 are proportions, architecture, style and technology, combining in a symphony of concave and convex forms destined to create nothing less than sensual tension.<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>It\u2019s also a demonstration of bravery: at a time when most car manufacturers are focusing on SUVs and crossovers, Hyundai is also betting its chips on the saloon, albeit revamped and moved on from the classic three-volume precept to what could be called a four-door coup\u00e9, spacious but with a sloping roof in fastback style, that fuses with the tail in a spoiler taking in the rear light units as well. So we hope that with this model \u2013 codenamed DN8 \u2013 we can relive the success of the 2010 Sonata YF, which led some critics to mention \u201cmagic\u201d; a magic that others thought faded a little in the next model LF in 2015.<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>In fact, the DN8 breaks away from all previous stylistic features, except the hexagonal grille, and adopts styling solutions, such as the deep lines giving character to the sides or the bonnet with a chrome border that lights up in the dark, which lead SangYup to coin the term \u201ceveryday exotic\u201d. The Sonata, whose design was started in 2016, is also \u2013 explained Donckerwolke \u2013 \u201cthe first car to make use of our new digital design process\u201d: a method exploiting closer synergy with the engineers in defining the platform.<\/p>\n<\/div>