(Los Angeles, Dec. 2, 2009) John Krafcik, CEO of Hyundai Motor America unveiled an all new 2011 Sonata mid-sized sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Uniquely in this segment in the US market, the Sonata will not offer a V6 engine option. Instead all Sonatas will now get one of three four cylinder powertrains.

When the first of the new Sonata's arrive at dealers in late January and February 2010, they will all be powered by the new direct injected (GDI) version of the 2.4-liter Theta II four cylinder. This revised powerplant will produce 198 hp in single exhaust form in the GLS and Limited models and 200 hp with a dual exhaust system in the SE.

All of the new Sonatas will have 6-speed transmissions with the SE and Limited getting automatics only. The base GLS will also be available with a manual transmission although Hyundai expects that to only account for about 2 percent of all sales. The sportier automatic only SE will have paddle shifters on the steering wheel for those that still want some control of ratio selection.

In spite of having more power than the 2010 model, the new GDI Sonata has improved fuel efficiency and is expected to hit 23 mpg city and 35 mpg highway when the final EPA mileage ratings are released. Like similar engines from other manufacturers, the GDI Theta II takes advantage of the charge cooling effect of spraying the fuel directly into the combustion chamber to bump the compression ratio. The Hyundai four cylinder has an 11.3:1 compression ratio which helps boost torque to 184 pound-feet, well above the 172 pound-feet produced by GM's recently introduced 2.4-liter GDI EcoTec.

Later in 2010, the Sonata will get two additional powertrain options. Instead of a V6, engine, a turbocharged version of the GDI four cylinder will be added. No details have been release about the GTDI Theta II but output in the 260-270 hp range is expected with fuel efficiency similar to the normally aspirated unit.

Also coming late in 2010 will be Hyundai's first US market hybrid. Hyundai announced its new hybrid system at the 2008 Los Angeles show and the 2011 Sonata hybrid will be the first production application of a lithium polymer battery. The battery cells are produced by LG Chem and are very similar to those that will be used by General Motors in the Chevrolet Volt.

Hyundai CEO John Krafcik gave us a run-down of the hybrid system a year ago. It uses the same architecture as the system recently introduced in the Korean market Elantra and Kia Forte but with a larger electric motor. To keep costs down, the Hyundai hybrid does not use a power-split transmission like systems from Toyota, Ford and General Motors. The motor is sandwiched between the engine and transmission as in several mild hybrid applications. Unlike those systems, the motor will have sufficient power to propel the Sonata electrically at low speeds.