Hyundai Announces 2016 Sonata Hybrid Car Launch Date
Hyundai is looking to make a bigger splash in the ever growing green market, so the unveiling of the new 2016 Sonata Hybrid midsize sedan was big news indeed!
The Koreans invested 27 months and about $164 million into the development of the next-generation 2016 Sonata hybrid car, which incorporates the new Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design language.
The big news is the hybrid version of the 2016 Sonata sedan has already received a “best-in-class” fuel economy rating by delivering 18.2-liters/km when riding on 16-inch tires.
That is a solid increase over the 16.8 km/l achieved by the outgoing model.
Also improved is the number of grams of carbon dioxide gas per kilometer that the new hybrid emits, dropping from 100 grams down to 91 on the new model.
As far as dimensions go, the hybrid is essentially the same as the seventh-generation Sonata released earlier this year, although there are some minor differences in the bumper and lights.
The car stretches 4,855 mm from front to back, is 1,865 mm wide and 1,475 mm tall. The overall wheelbase comes in at 2,805 mm.
Hyundai claims that one of the biggest improvements in the vehicle can be found in the driving dynamics. It also comes with an amazing array of optional safety features, such as forward collision warning, adaptive smart cruise control and blind spot detection.
New Hyundai Hybrid Electric Drivetrain
The company’s first dedicated 2.0L GDI hybrid engine mated to a 38 kilowatt motor is what you will find under the hood of the new Hyundai Sonata hybrid sedan.
There was another upgrade made to the internal combustion, which is now rated at 156-hp versus the 150-hp currently delivered by the existing 24 kilowatt motor.
What that all adds up to is 20.9 kilogram meters of torque being generated, with the emphasis on better responsiveness ay lower RPM’s.
A spokesperson for Hyundai said that better response at lower RPM’s is important in a hybrid vehicle, as it helps solve the problem of a lack of acceleration that hybrid models tend to suffer from.
The relatively lightweight construction of the parallel hybrid powertrain helps with the delivery of power. The powertrain is mated to a 6-speed transmission.
Fuel economy is also helped by the drag coefficient of the vehicle that is at a mere 0.24 which is better than the 0.27 of the gas-powered Sonata.
When talking about the battery pack used in the hybrid, Hyundai said that 16.2 kilowatt-hour unit that appears in the new model has had its capacity increased by 13.3%. That allows the vehicle to travel further while burning less fuel in the process.
There are other features in place that help save fuel, such as an automated system that alerts the driver to coast in certain driving conditions.
Hyundai has set sales goals for 2015 at 18,000 units in the domestic market, with a further 37,000 units expected to be sold in overseas markets.
US-specs Sonata hybrid launch date: US customers, as well as those in other key global markets, should get to see the 2016 Sonata Hybrid in showrooms in the early part of 2015.
