Rewind to 15 years ago, and it would have been embarrassing to drive a Korean car. This is referenced in the media. In the Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift film, Han gives Sean a Mitsubishi Evo, and he says, “What, you think I’m going to let you roll in a Hyundai?”. Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson says your life has hit rock bottom if you drive a Hyundai Accent Diesel. A long time ago, a girl asked me what car she should get, and I said, “You should get a Hyundai”. Big mistake. She never talked to me again. Point is that Hyundais and Kias (Hyundai owns Kia) have always been burdened with the reputation of being cheap and mediocre cars. It’s funny how things can change in time. The Hyundai Sonata always had been a left field contender rivaling the likes of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. But the Sonata was redesigned in 2006, and it became a decent family sedan with a roomy interior and civilized road manners. It sold well, but it still trailed the better family sedans. Enter the sixth generation Hyundai Sonata. The Sonata attempts to build on the fundamentals of the earlier sonatas while using eye catching styling and fuel efficiency to garner sales.
RNR Automotive Blog 