An all-new 2015 Hyundai Sonata, shown on Hyundai's stand at the New York International Auto Show. Photo: Hyundai
Auto enthusiasts often wonder: What's it like to see an all-new model unveiled?
Having attended a bunch, we can tell you that the events can vary quite a bit.
Events held during media days at major auto shows do tend to follow a pattern, because automakers have only a limited time -- 20 minutes or so -- before the next event: Typically, there's a senior executive from the company who gives a short presentation, there's some loud music, the new vehicle roars or lands or magically appears on stage, and then its high points -- the things that make it "all-new" -- are discussed in glowing terms.
After that, there's some informal time when journalists can take photos or interview the executives in attendance. (Investment analysts sometimes attend these events as well.)
The pattern is usually similar at events held away from auto shows, but they often unfold over a longer span of time. The automaker usually offers food or drinks or both to put the journalists in a cheerful mood, often while a band plays, and then there's a presentation in which the new vehicle is unveiled. Obviously, the automaker's goal is to create the best possible conditions to get favorable media coverage of their new model. (Though the journalists and analysts, of course, often have different ideas. We were lukewarm on the new Sonata, and we told you so.)
Sometimes, though, they don't give us all the details. We attended a Hyundai (HYMTF) presentation held in New York the night before the show opened, in which Hyundai gave us a quick look at the all-new 2015 Sonata sedan. They gave us an opportunity to look at the car up close, and they told us quite a bit about the thinking that went into the design, but they saved many key details (like the car's price) for their full presentation at the show itself the next day.
We brought you a report on the new Sonata from the company's booth at the New York show. But we thought you might also like an inside peek at that "sneak preview" event. In this short video, you'll see Hyundai's U.S. chief, Dave Zuchowski, give some remarks while the car is uncovered and "revealed" in the background. After that, designer Chris Chapman talks about the philosophy behind the car's appearance, which we've interspersed with several shots of the new Sonata (some of which we took the next day, at the auto show.)
Having seen this model revealed, what do you think of the new Sonata? Scroll down to leave a comment and let us know.
