2014 Hyundai Sonata Gls on 2040-cars

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2015 Hyundai Sonata found uncovered in Korea

Hyundai is locked and loaded to debut its redesigned, 2015 Sonata at the New York Auto Show next month. For one enterprising Korean photographer, however, the reveal just couldn't come soon enough.
A South Korean website called Bobaedream.co.kr unceremoniously published some images of what would appear to be a completely undisguised example of the new Sonata. Korean Car Blog quickly followed up on the leak, claiming that the car in question was fitted with Hyundai's 2.0-liter turbocharged GDI engine, making 274 horsepower, and connected to an all-new, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Whether that information came from a reliable insider source (as the photos would suggest) or was just a best guess, we can't say. But we can see what direction Hyundai is headed in with the Sonata. The front end seen in the spy shots is more or less what we'd already seen in the last teaser picture, with a new headlamp design helping to set off a prominent grille. The grille does seem to have some element of the strong, graphical surround from the teaser, too, though it's not as defined in these low-resolution pictures. Sheetmetal on the hood and bodysides seems cleaner, straighter and less fussy than in the current car, too. As for whether or not this is the Korean-spec car or the one destined for the US market, that's unclear, though we have been told that the two cars do look very similar.

2014 Hyundai Equus gallops into New York with first major refresh

Hyundai isn't horsing around with the Equus, its premium luxury sedan offering, for the 2014 model year. As stated in the automaker's press release, "Equus is the number-one shopped premium luxury sedan, well ahead of Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series, Audi A8, Lexus LS, and Jaguar XJ."
We're not entirely certain what "number-one shopped" means, but regardless, that's some serious company to be rubbing elbows with. Hyundai is seeking to draw even more people into its showrooms to cross-shop the Equus with those German, Japanese and British rivals by issuing the car's first major update since it was debuted at the New York Auto Show in 2009.
Not a stone was left unturned in this comprehensive refresh, with the exterior, interior, powertrain and chassis all receiving updates for the new year. Most noticeably on the outside, the 2014 Equus gets a new fascia that includes a restyled grille, along with standard LED fog lamps. Inside, the changes are more drastic and include a brand-new instrument cluster and center stack to go along with "ultra-premium genuine wood trim."

How the Blue Link Apple Watch app talks to Hyundai Sonata PHEV

Getting all of our electronic gadgets to talk to each other is the technologist utopia normally called the Internet of Things. Cars are no strangers to this new Internet and that means that your smartphone is getting more and more chatty with any number of vehicles, especially plug-in vehicles. The new 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid is the latest that can communicate with your phone, and it also has a new-found ability to talk to smart watches. We talked with Hyundai's manager of connected care publicity, Miles Johnson, about the new features in the Apple Watch app during out recent test drive of the Sonata PHEV. To be honest, there's nothing groundbreaking in the new Blue Link Apple Watch app except that it works on your wrist instead of your palm – you can see the state of charge and be guided to your car in a crowded parking lot – but we're still in favor of anything that makes electric vehicles seem one step ahead of your non-connected ride. You can get an up-close and personal look at the new app's capabilities in the video above and read our first drive of the PHEV and the standard hybrid here.