2014 Sonata Hybrid Refreshes Interior With New Standard Premium Features and Maximizes Electric-Only Driving Efficiency

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor America has announced pricing for the 2014 Sonata Hybrid, starting at $26,000 for the extraordinarily well-equipped Sonata Hybrid and $30,750 for the range-topping Sonata Hybrid Limited. Hyundai Motor America will continue to offer an industry-exclusive Hybrid Lifetime Battery Warranty on the 2014 Sonata Hybrid.

2014 SONATA HYBRID PRICING

Freight Charges for the 2014MY Sonata Hybrid are $810 and not included in the prices above.                                        

The 2014 Sonata Hybrid continues to demonstrate Hyundai's commitment to innovation with its advanced Hybrid Blue Drive architecture, which features a powerful 35 kW electric motor, 47 kW Lithium Polymer battery pack and an optimized hybrid operating strategy. The Hybrid Blue Drive system is paired with a 2.4-liter Theta II four-cylinder engine that efficiently runs on an Atkinson cycle and six-speed hybrid automatic transmission to generate 199 combined net horsepower. This advanced powertrain maintains the improved fuel efficiencies of the Sonata Hybrid by increasing the overall amount of available electrical drive power, allowing drivers to go further between fill ups.

As in previous Sonata Hybrids, the 2014 Sonata Hybrid features a clutch to couple the gasoline engine with the drivetrain. When in pure electric drive, the Sonata Hybrid can drive electrically up to 74 miles per hour.

ELECTRIC-ONLY DRIVING

Using a higher output 35 kW electric motor and the more powerful 47 kW Lithium Polymer battery pack introduced for the 2013 model year, the Hybrid Blue Drive powertrain maximizes electric-only driving. The improved operating system takes advantage of newly developed driving pattern detection and engine on/off optimization logic. The availability of additional battery energy helps save fuel by allowing greater flexibility in running the gasoline engine at optimum efficiency. Better kinetic energy recovery and increased charging efficiency allows the Sonata Hybrid in all-electric mode more often and for longer periods of time, increasing fuel economy.

The 2014 Sonata Hybrid utilizes the all-electric mode during optimal moments such as highway driving and saves the gasoline engine start-up for conditions that require a heavier dose of power. All of this translates to money saved for the driver.

NEW STANDARD EQUIPMENT HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2014MY

• LED interior dome lights
• Touchscreen color audio with HD Radio
• Rearview camera

FLUIDIC SCULPTURE DESIGN LANGUAGE

Fluidic Sculpture is the consistent, cohesive design language used throughout the entire Hyundai showroom. It gives the Sonata Hybrid an upscale appearance along with aerodynamics that helps reduce wind noise and improve fuel economy. The unique front fascia and rear bumper with LED accent headlights and LED taillights boost the flowing lines and integrate a new level of design precision. The fluid and precise exterior theme is completed by a set of 17-inch eco-spoke wheels on the Sonata Hybrid Limited.

LITHIUM-POLYMER BATTERY TECHNOLOGY

The 2014 Sonata Hybrid features a lithium-polymer battery pack, which has been established as the next generation of lithium-ion technology, and is ideally suited to automotive applications thanks to a particularly robust and reliable chemistry.

The lithium-polymer cells, developed with Hyundai's partner LG Chem, use a manganese-spinel chemistry that provides an excellent compromise between power delivery, energy density and thermal stability. Thermal stability is critical to ensuring durability, effectively eliminating the need to replace the battery pack during the normal lifespan of the vehicle. The electrodes in older lithium-ion chemistries expand and contract significantly with the heating and cooling that naturally occur during charging and discharging. This thermal expansion causes cracks in the electrodes, which ultimately reduces the cell's ability to hold a charge. Manganese-spinel lithium-polymer cells have much lower expansion rates and are thus able to go through tens-of-thousands of charge cycles even without having to use a heavier, liquid-cooling system.

LITHIUM POLYMER BATTERY PACK

The 2014 Sonata Hybrid's 47 kW lithium polymer battery pack is more energy dense than the nickel-metal hydride batteries used in competitors' hybrid vehicles. At 91 pounds, the lightweight battery helps improve overall vehicle weight and fuel economy. The improved battery pack is key to recovering more kinetic energy from braking and charging from the engine, when needed, to help propel the vehicle. The optimized hybrid system allows more all-electric driving with additional usable energy stored in the battery, cutting both fuel consumption and emissions.

POWERFUL OUTPUT ELECTRIC MOTOR

The 2014 Sonata Hybrid's lithium polymer battery stores more energy, yielding a powerful output of 35 kW to the electric traction motor. The higher output electric motor is also essential to improving energy capture during regenerative braking. The regenerative energy is used for electric drive mode before the system has to start the internal combustion engine, sustaining a longer all-electric driving mode for continued fuel efficiency and improved drivability.

HYBRID STARTER GENERATOR

HSG is primarily used to start the engine and charge the hybrid battery. The HSG operates at the same 270 volts as the electric traction motor and battery and is also used to improve clutch engagement when synchronizing engine to transmission speed. The primary traction motor is coupled to the transmission and cannot be used to charge the hybrid battery when the car is stationary. If the battery state of charge is low and the car is stationary, the HSG will automatically restart the engine, which then charges the Lithium Polymer battery pack.

When the driver releases the brake and presses the accelerator, the Sonata Hybrid will pull away smoothly in electric drive mode with the clutch still disengaged. In this mode, the Sonata will briefly behave like an electric vehicle. Once the car is in motion and torque demand increases, the clutch will engage and send engine tractive effort through the transmission again, which enables the vehicle to achieve exceptionally smooth starts.

AERODYNAMICS

The body of the 2014 Sonata Hybrid remains unchanged, but it still features the unique exterior that sets it apart from other Sonatas. The combination of a re-shaped front and rear fascias with a deeper air dam, extended rocker panels and lower drag wheels allow air to flow around the body with less resistance. The drag coefficient for the Sonata Hybrid is an exceptionally low 0.25 that compares favorably to the Toyota Camry Hybrid (0.27) and the Ford Fusion Hybrid (0.27).

The ability to easily slip through the air, combined with low rolling resistance tires and the reduced friction in the optimized Hybrid Blue Drive powertrain, significantly reduces the amount of energy required to maintain highway speeds. The result is the remarkable highway fuel efficiency of the Sonata Hybrid.

TRIM LEVELS                         

The 2014 Sonata Hybrid is available in two different trim levels to choose from – Sonata Hybrid and Sonata Hybrid Limited.

EPA Estimated Fuel Economy*

*For comparison only. Mileage may vary with options, driving conditions, driving habits and vehicle's condition.

HYBRID LIFETIME BATTERY WARRANTY

The 2014 Sonata Hybrid also comes with Hyundai's Hybrid Lifetime Battery Warranty, which stems from Hyundai's philosophy to make advanced technology accessible across a wide customer base. The coverage expands the benefits of Hyundai Assurance, the industry's most comprehensive warranty program, including an unsurpassed 10-year powertrain warranty.

The Hyundai Lifetime Hybrid Battery Warranty ensures that if the Sonata Hybrid lithium-polymer battery ever needs replacement, Hyundai will replace the battery and cover recycling costs for the old battery pack free-of-charge to the original owner. The coverage is not transferrable, and does not apply to lease and commercial vehicles or vehicles serviced outside the U.S.

Sonata Hybrid Packaging

The 2014 Sonata Hybrid MSRP is $26,000, excluding $810 freight and includes the following standard equipment:

• 2.4L Atkinson Cycle 4-cylinder hybrid engine
• Hybrid Starter-Generator (HSG)
• Permanent magnet high-power density motor
• 270V lithium polymer battery
• 6-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC®
• Electronic stability control with traction control system
• ABS with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist
• Active front head restraints
• Front, front seat side and curtain airbags
• Virtual Engine Sound System (VESS)
• Rearview camera
• 16-inch Eco-spoke alloy wheels
• Headlight LED accents
• LED taillights
• Front fog lights
• Side mirror-mounted turn signal indicators
• Unique, tinted chrome front grille
• Bodyside molding tinted chrome inserts
• Chrome exterior door handles
• Proximity entry with push-button start
• Remote keyless entry, alarm and immobilizer
• Electroluminescent instrument cluster (Supervision)
• 4.2-inch color TFT multi-function trip computer with hybrid technology display
• Dual automatic temperature control
• Heated front seats
• Chrome interior door handles
• Leatherette interior door panel inserts
• Tilt & telescopic steering wheel with cruise, audio and phone controls
• Metalgrain appearance interior accents
• Touchscreen color audio
• AM/FM/SiriusXM/CD/MP3 with iPod®/USB & auxiliary input jacks
• HD Radio® Technology with multicasting
• Power windows, locks, heated mirrors
• Integrated Bluetooth® with phonebook transfer
• Hyundai Blue Link Telematics system
• Automatic light control
• Solar control glass
• LED interior dome lights

Sonata Hybrid Limited

The 2014 Sonata Hybrid Limited MSRP is $30,750, excluding $810 freight, and includes the following standard equipment:

• 17-inch Eco-spoke alloy wheels with unique finish
• Navigation system with high-resolution 7-inch touchscreen display
• Infinity® premium speakers, subwoofer and external amplifier (400-watt)
• Leather seating surfaces
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel & shift knob
• Power driver seat with lumbar support
• Auto-dimming mirror/HomeLink®/Compass
• Premium door sill plates
• SiriusXM® NavTraffic, NavWeather and Sports & Stocks w/ 90-Day Trial

Panoramic Sunroof Package ($1,000 MSRP)

• Panoramic Sunroof
• Glossy black door surround and outside mirror housing

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA

Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 820 dealerships nationwide. All Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program, which includes the 5-year/60,000-mile fully transferable new vehicle limited warranty, Hyundai's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty, and five years of complimentary Roadside Assistance. Hyundai Assurance includes Assurance Connected Care that provides owners of Hyundai models equipped with the Hyundai Blue Link telematics system with proactive safety and car care services complimentary for three years. These services include Automatic Collision Notification, Enhanced Roadside Assistance, Vehicle Diagnostic Alert, Monthly Vehicle Health Report and in-vehicle service scheduling. 

For more details on Hyundai Assurance, please visit www.HyundaiAssurance.com

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SOURCE Hyundai Motor America