KBB.com’s “Most Noteworthy Success” Of 2010: Hyundai Sonata

[Hyundai NEWS]

The 2011 Sonata closed out 2010 on another high note, with KBB.com—one of the most popular automotive-research sites on the web—recognizing Hyundai’s breakthrough sedan as one of the top 20 most-researched vehicles of the year. In fact, the Sonata jumped a full 24 spots as compared to its position on the 2009 list, reaching fifth place last year—a performance KBB.com editors called “the most noteworthy success story this year.”

“Hyundai’s popular all-new Sonata helped to re-shuffle the deck among the top 20 most-researched new cars of 2010,” they continued, “knocking a few vehicles further down on the list compared to where they were last year.”

It’s a significant accomplishment, because the website’s high traffic has made it a leading indicator of future sales patterns. Just consider: Not only did the Sonata spark a flurry of interest among KBB.com visitors, but the automaker also was able to capitalize on this interest by selling more than 200,000 Sonatas in 2010—a new U.S. record for the nameplate. And the car got plenty of attention from industry third parties, too.

Among Sonata’s long list of honors from the previous year:

Finalist, North American Car of the Year Award
Official Selection, Car and Driver 10Best Cars for 2011
All Star, Automobile Magazine
Best Buy, Consumers Digest
Top Safety Pick, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
In addition, the Sonata received an overall five-star crash rating—the highest possible score—in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car Assessment Program.

“The research from Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com validates a trend we’ve been following throughout the year. Sonata is clearly making more consumers’ shopping lists than ever before,” said Mike O’Brien, vice president, product and corporate planning, Hyundai Motor America. “Data shows that Sonata was the most-shopped vehicle on the Internet six of the last seven months, proving that as awareness and availability of the 2011 model increased, shopping patterns quickly followed suit.”