Hyundai Improves Sonata with High Strength Steel

Hyundai Motor plans to more than double the proportion of high-strength steel used in its vehicles, starting with the new Sonata sedan, which will debut in March, according to Korean industry sources.

The revamped Sonata will be the first Hyundai car brand to feature nearly 50 percent high-strength steel in its steel frame. The automaker uses this steel to achieve better fuel efficiency and lower weight. Hyundai Motor and its subsidiary Hyundai Steel have teamed up to create high-strength, lightweight alloys that will help their vehicles lose about 10 percent in weight starting this year.

The current use of high-strength steel in Hyundai and Kia vehicles averages about 21 percent of the total vehicle weight. "The reduction in weight will reduce fuel consumption while increasing payload and directional stability in general," said a Hyundai spokesman. "We are continuing to research to apply different steels to specific vehicle parts."

However, it is unlikely that Hyundai will supply high-strength steel to other automakers due to production constraints. Hyundai also buys steel from other steelmakers such as POSCO in Korea and Nippon Steel in Japan. The Sonata appeared in 1985 and is one of the best-selling sedan models in Korea. More than 3 million units have been sold in Korea alone. Following its March debut in Seoul, the automaker plans to unveil the car in April in the US during the New York Auto Show.