The recently
unveiled 2020 Hyundai Sonata is riding on an all-new, front-wheel drive
platform. However, an all-wheel drive version aimed at the U.S. market could
very well make its way into the U.S. market. CNET reports that Hyundai’s
product division director, Jae Young Kim, has told as much ahead of the media
drive that takes place in South Korea.
Fitting the
eighth-gen Sonata with an all-wheel drive system will better help it cope with
some of its rivals, such as the new Nissan Altima and the upcoming Subaru
Legacy, that are offered with AWD,. and also make it more appealing to
customers living in cold-climate states.
At launch, Hyundai
will offer the mid-size sedan with a choice of two engines in global markets.
The 1.6-liter T-GDI makes 180 hp and 263 Nm of
torque, and the 2.5-liter GDI delivers 190 hp and 244 Nm of torque. Both units are mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
It hasn’t been
announced yet which engines will be available in the U.S. Nonetheless, the
all-new Sonata will celebrate its premiere in our market in mid-April during
the 2019 New York Auto Show, before going on sale in the second half of the
year, so soon enough we’ll have all the relevant info.
