The Hyundai i40, cousin of the US Hyundai Sonata, took home the Golden Award at the Euro Car Body Conference in Germany. This is the “highest accolade in the industry.” The i40 beat out the Audi A6 (second place) and the Mercedes B-Class (third place).
“Winning the EuroCarBody Golden Award demonstrates our commitment to providing the highest levels of safety for Hyundai customers,” says Senior Vice President and COO Allan Rushforth. “The i40 was recently awarded a maximum five-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash test, and this latest award is further independent evidence that our technology is market-leading. We will continue our efforts for ever-better technology to protect passengers and improve all aspects of vehicle performance.”
The i40 was released on the UK in early 2011, starting at £17,395 (that’s $27,971 for those of us across the pond). For those in the UK, there are three trim levels: active, style, and premium. Buyers also get a choice between two engines, three power outputs, and manual or automatic.
In the United States, you’ll recognize the i40 as the Hyundai Sonata. The cars share the same platform. In the US, the Sonata is in its sixth generation, which just came out in 2011. The sixth-generation Sonata has a direct injection, 2.4L 4-cylinder engine, gets better fuel economy, and comes with a six-speed automatic transmission.