LexFather

During the month of November Hyundai sold 14,216 Sonatas in the U.S. That's a 117-percent increase over the same month last year, which is enough to place the new sedan seventh on the list of best-selling cars in the world’s largest auto market. It’s the first time a Hyundai has landed in the top ten since the Excel did it in the late 1980s. While that car achieved the feat based solely on its cheap price, the new-for-2006 Sonata has done it with a killer combination of value, safety and style.

To put the success of the new Sonata in perspective, one only needs to analyze Hyundai’s YTD sales. The data reveals that even though the 2006 Sonata didn’t start rolling off the assembly until March, it’s YTD sales are ahead of the also-popular Elantra (109,512 vs. 107,429). Aside from the Sonata, Hyundai sales are up eight percent over last year with a total of 411,991 units sold.

http://www.autoblog.com/2005/12/28/h...ling-cars-list

Bluesman2

You can be sure that Toyota is looking over their shoulder and watching what Hyundai does.....They want success badly and it shows!

The next big competitor will be from China.

mmarshall

" Cheap " was a term that described a WHOLE LOT more about the Excel than just its price....including the identical Mitsubishi Precis, the car the Excel was cloned off of.

spwolf

while it is great for Hyundai, it shows that Sonata didnt sell until incentives piled up. It is pretty nice car, but as I predicted, it is different story when you price it almost the same as your competitors.

mmarshall

Not a bit surprising. I expected this. I said when I reviewed this car a couple of months ago that I thought that, dollar-for-dollar, it was good a deal as a Camry or Accord. It has quality that virtually equalls Toyota or Honda at a significantly lower price and much longer warranty. Consumer Reports ranked the 2004 Sonata as the most reliable vehicle in their database......final figures are not in for 2005. They will be published in the April Car-Buying issue.

mmarshall

The thing is, spwolf, is that is not really priced with its primary competitiors. It undercuts them significantly yet offers quality, value, and a much longer warranty.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that the Camry and Accord are in trouble. They certainly are not. They are two excellent vehicles that over the years have sold in enormous numbers and have built up a huge and loyal following....and the Hybrid versions of each will only add to their already huge appeal....something the Sonata ( or Hyundai ) to date has not offered. Their sales are not going out the window anytime soon.....but each one of them will be able to look into their rearview mirrors and see the Sonata's headlights not far behind.

Iceman

I have to admit that the Sonata is a very sharp-looking car. Every time I see that rear end I think it's a sporty new Accord until I get close enough to see the badging. Fit-and-finish, at least from the outside, looks great too.

Honda and Toyota don't need to be WORRIED, though I'm sure they're keeping a close eye on things. It's the American companies who need to be worried. Here is yet another competitor who beats them on price, and now styling and quality as well.