The Hyundai Genesis Sedan, the recently-unveiled all-new Sonata, and the upcoming executive-class Equus are reshaping Hyundai's lineup from budget Korean automaker to world-class player. The next car, previewed with the i-flow concept coming to Geneva next month, will likely replace the current Azera to complete the range.
Packaged as a family sedan one notch higher than the Sonata, the current Azera sticks out a bit from the rest of the new lineup, even with the updates received at the Chicago Auto Show. The replacement matches the Sonata step for step in design, and Hyundai credits the impressive look to its Russelsheim, Germany design HQ. High-tech materials from BASF help to minimize weight and maximize efficiency--including the use of solar cells--though no other details about the car have been revealed.
While it won't have the premium aspirations of the Genesis and Equus, it will serve, as the Sonata does, to move Hyundai's overall brand image further up-market, better competing with the likes of Honda, Toyota, Chevrolet and Ford. It will also create the headroom within the sedan lineup necessary to price the Genesis and Equus sufficiently into the luxury space to be competitive but still profitable.
The car will be unveiled fully on March 2 in Geneva.
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