"Everyone's Doing Well Except Me"... The Humiliation of the People's Car Sonata

[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] The Sonata, once synonymous with the people's car, slipped to 10th place in domestic car sales rankings last month. While strong new models like the Grandeur, Avante, and K5 successfully captured the top spots, the Sonata barely managed to stay within the top 10.

According to the automotive industry on the 9th, Sonata's domestic monthly sales in September this year were 4,589 units, a 36% decrease compared to the same period last year. This contrasts sharply with other sedan models such as the Grandeur (140%), Avante (57%), and K5 (89%), which saw rapid sales growth during the same period.

Hyundai Sonata

In the domestic market, Sonata sales once rose to about 13,000 units per month after the launch of the new 8th generation model in March last year, but sales gradually declined to around 4,000 units per month. Despite about a year and a half having passed since the release of the completely redesigned model, the 'new car effect' of the Sonata has already begun to fade, leading to a decrease in sales.

Last month, based on monthly sales, sedan models such as the Grandeur, Avante, and K5, as well as SUVs like the Carnival, Sorento, and Palisade, all outsold the Sonata. Even the Genesis G80, priced at more than twice the Sonata, sold about 1.3 times more units.

The Sonata's sluggish performance is largely due to the strong performance of Hyundai sedan models in the lower and upper segments, such as the Grandeur and Avante, which has made the Sonata's positioning ambiguous. The Grandeur, which released a facelift model at the end of last year, has maintained its status as the best-selling car in Korea for seven consecutive months, and the completely redesigned Avante launched this year has been praised for its revolutionary design and convenience features that surpass its class.

Kia K5

Adding to this, the K5 from Kia, a competitor in the same class, has further narrowed Sonata's market position. In particular, the K5's design, which appeals broadly without strong dislikes, is popular among consumers in their 20s and 30s. When Hyundai launched the 8th generation new Sonata, they declared their intention to lower the average buyer age by targeting the 'millennial generation,' but looking at the new registration age group for Sonata this year, those aged 50 and above still account for an absolute 43%.

There is also analysis that the attractiveness of the mid-size sedan segment has declined due to the deepening polarization of the domestic car market. The recent trend in the automotive market favors either large and expensive vehicles or compact and economical ones. In the domestic sedan market, the luxury brand Genesis is gaining popularity, while the mid-compact sedan Avante continues its upward trend. In the SUV market, large or small models are performing well. Mid-size SUVs like the Santa Fe and Tucson, which were once noted as family cars, seem to have slowed their growth.

An industry insider said, "It is true that the position of mid-segment vehicles in the domestic car market has become ambiguous," adding, "To overcome this, differentiated points such as design appeal that transcends segments or price competitiveness are necessary."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.