All About Japan Autos

For years now, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord have been best sellers within the class of Affordable Midsize Cars — which, of course, has made them the primary targets of rival automakers. While Ford has found its answer in the Fusion and GM in the Buick Regal and Chevrolet Malibu, no one has been able to dethrone Japan’s stronghold on the segment.

Korea, though, is gunning straight for the jugular with the all-new Hyundai Sonata — and it seems to be working. According to the Detroit News, “Sonata sales totaled 21,399, nearly double the prior-year sales of the previous Sonata, while the Fusion, Altima, Malibu and the larger Chevrolet Impala each generated fewer than 19,000 sales in August, according to Autodata Corp.” Meanwhile, “Honda Motor Co. sold 22,506 Accords, and Toyota Motor Corp. sold more than 30,000 Camrys.”

Third place isn’t bad for a car that was just introduced in February.

“It seemed to be only a matter of time, though,” writes Autoblog. “The Sonata now wears some of the best looking sheet metal of any midsizer out there and its price tag comes in a good bit lower than both the Accord and the Camry. Throw in a snappy interior and very efficient drivetrain options, and suddenly you’ve got the attention of the car-buying public.”

Not surprisingly, Hyundai is delighted. John Krafcik, Hyundai Motor America President and CEO told Motor Trend, “We haven’t been able to catch the Accord and Camry, but we’ve done very well.”

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