Here we have a very nice old pic from a very sexy lady on a police equipment show in China with a Hyundai Sonata police car. It is 2002 and the first China-made Sonata is just launched on the Chinese car market, based on the facelifted 4th generation model.

The Sonata was, and is, made in China by the Beijing-Hyundai joint venture. It was used as a police car in Beijing and surrounding cities from 2002 on but that didn’t last long, due to quality issues with the first batch of China-made cars most Sonata’s were soon replaced with Elantra’s.

Exactly the same thing happened with Beijing’s taxi fleet. I still can remember taxi drivers getting really pissed off when I asked them about their new Sonata-car. It broke down all the time, they said, and used far too much patrol! The taxi’s too were replaced with Elantra’s. Nowadays Sonata police cars and taxi’s are a rare thing to see.

Later on quality improved and this fourth-gen Sonata, first-gen for China, is actually still in production today, it is now called the Sonata MolnCa and produced in the same factory as the new 6th gen Sonata. The 5th gen Sonata that was made by Beijing-Hyundai as well died when the 6th came in, the 4th however seems here to stay.

Chinese car buyers, can choose between two Sonata’s, now, ain’t they lucky or what?

The new Hyundai Sonata has been officially listed on the Chinese auto market. The Sonata is made in China by the Beijing-Hyundai joint venture. Price starts at 166.900 yuan and ends at 249.900 yuan. Engines: 2.0 and 2.4.

Hyundai will launch the hybrid Sonata Blue Drive on the Chinese market in the first half of 2012. The Blue Drive has a parallel-hybrid drive system that is able to move the car on solely electric power, or with a combination of gas and electric power. The system is based around a standard 2.4 litre 4-cylinder. The Chinese market has not shown much interest in hybrids, mostly because they are considered too expensive.

The new Hyundai Sonata will be on sale on the Chinese market in March. The Sonata is made in China by the Beijing-Hyundai joint venture. Price will start around 190.000 yuan and end around 250.000 yuan. Engines: 2.0 and 2.4, the 2.0 turbo might join in later.

The Chinese-market Sonata is made in China by joint venture Beijing-Hyundai. South Korea and Europe got the new Sonata first, in December it is China time, the new car will debut at the Guangzhou Auto Show. Engines: 2.0 and 2.4. On the pic a new Sonata on transport near the factory in Beijing.

Current Beijing-Hyundai Sonata.

The last generation Sonata is still in production in China as a cheaper alternative, mostly for sales to fleets. It got a facelift and a new name: MoInCa Sonata. That weird spelling ain’t mine, it is Hyundai’s. Not sure what will happen to this one if the new one arrives, maybe the current one takes its place, could be called MoInCa Sonata II (speculation…).