First Spy Photos of a Hyundai Sonata Prototype: All-New Model or Second Facelift?

These could be the first spy photos of the next Hyundai Sonata. Our colleagues at Healer TV received two pictures from a subscriber showing a camouflaged sedan on a Korean road at night. The car has not been officially identified, and with images this limited, it is still hard to say whether it is an all-new model or a second facelift of the current Sonata.

What The First Photos Show

The photos were taken from another moving car at night, so they do not reveal much. We can only make out a dark camouflage wrap and the overall shape of a sedan. The front and rear lights are covered or too blurred to judge their final design.

Why It Could Be A Sonata

Healer TV points to two clues: the overall shape of the car and the side repeater on the front fender, which looks very similar to the Sonata's. According to the channel, the process of elimination also points to the Sonata:

• Few models have this feature: among current Hyundai models, only the Grandeur and Sonata have turn signals on the fender.

• The Grandeur doesn't fit: it was facelifted this year, so a new prototype would have to be a full model change, and neither the timing nor the shape matches.

• Genesis is ruled out: the G80 and G90 also have fender repeaters, but their shape is different, and both the G90 facelift and the G80 Hybrid have already been spotted.

Second Facelift Or All-New Model?

This is the big question, and these photos are not enough to answer it. Healer TV leans toward a second facelift, since the Sonata's sister car is getting exactly that: the Kia K5 second facelift has been testing for months (K5 second facelift: everything we know), so the timing would fit.

However, there are signs pointing to an all-new car too. Earlier this year, a Hyundai designer looked back on 2025 with thanks and mentioned having worked on several projects, including the "next-gen Sonata". That is in line with what we reported last December, when the ninth-generation Sonata, known as DN9, was confirmed to be in development (Sonata DN9 development confirmed).

The current DN8 Sonata received its facelift in May 2023, and Hyundai recently updated it for 2027 with a new Black N Line trim (2027 Sonata launched in Korea).

What's Next

We will try to get new spy photos as soon as possible, so we can take a better look at this prototype and find out what it really is. In the meantime, you can watch Healer TV's video below.

Photos and video: Healer TV.