Hyundai Intros 2015 Sonata - Is it a Winner?

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The car that Hyundai needs to be a runaway success was introduced this morning in Korea. The question most will have about the 2015 Sonata is it going to be a winner for the automaker?

Here are some of the things that point to this being a winner for the brand – and none have anything to do with looks. People are going to want to buy this car for what's inside - not just its resemblance to the Genesis.

It's going to be a much better handling car with a 35 percent increase in torsional, bending strength and the use of advanced, high-strength steel. After all, Hyundai is also a steel company, which helps the brand do some incredible things on that front.

The new model is 1.4 inches longer and 1.2 inches wider than the previous generation Sonata. That should lead to more interior space, which is always a gain in the American market especially. It should also be a more quiet cabin with Hyundai promising improvements on the noise, vehicle, harshness (NVH) front.

Interior photos show a beautiful layout with a more ergonomic, driver-focused interior layout. As Wayne Gerdes observes at CleanMPG.com, "An all-new driver-focused cabin that incorporates Hyundai’s core interior design principles of intuitiveness and simplicity are bound to impress. The new more ergonomic controls on the thicker wheel wheel should make basic function changes easier than the current generation. Higher-grade materials include leather and metal while the seats use of high-end environmentally friendly materials."

The 2015 Hyundai Sonata is also going to see more technical improvements over the outgoing model, too. It will feature Advanced Smart Cruise Control (ASCC); Blind Spot Detection; Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS) and Hands­free Smart Trunk. Safety features include a driver knee airbag and emergency stop signal. The new model also gets modern LED lighting as well as heated rear seats.

You'll notice a lot of these features are trickling down through the Genesis and were already in place in the Equus.

More details to come as we have time to digest them but it appears Hyundai, from early indications, does have a winner with the 2015 Sonata introduced this morning in Korea. The North American debut takes place in April at the New York Auto Show.