Hyundai Sonata Discontinued: Hyundai India discontinues premium sedan Sonata due to lesser demand

Hyundai India recently pulled the plug on its luxury sedan Sonata in the country. The company has stated that the main reason behind this decision is the decreasing demand for mainstream luxury car and the fact that Sonata only came with a petrol engine, which has led to extremely poor sales. First introduced in 2001, the car has been widely known for its premium design and upscale features. 

Hyundai first launched the Sonata in the Indian market as a direct competition to Honda’s premium sedan Accord. The Sonata became an instant hit among the luxury car buyers in the country forming its own niche followers. The appreciation came mainly because of its premium design elements and stance, which quite closely resembled the like of Jaguar in the International market.

The downfall began with the launch of the second generation model Sonata Embera, which was largely criticised for its dull and unattractive design. In spite of being the only Sonata to feature a diesel engine the car failed to make its mark. 

The third generation Sonata was launched in 2012 and this time Hyundai made no compromises both in terms of design and features. The car was designed based on Hyundai’s fluidic sculpture styling language, giving it a premium look that signifies a Sonata. However it was too late for Hyundai to create a similar brand image in the luxury car segment thanks to the already grown popularity of leading German Marques like Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW. Moreover the fact that the 2012 Hyundai Sonata did not come with a diesel engine option was another disappointment.

Reports indicate that in the last six months, Hyundai has managed to sell only 10 units a month on an average. With such a discouraging sales rate the Korean carmaker doesn’t find it feasible to continue sales of the Sonata and is currently focusing on the lower end of the market for big volumes.