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The Hyundai Sonata's Complete History Visualized, from 1986 to Today

Launched in 1986, the Hyundai Sonata initially wasn't even really a Hyundai. The sedan sourced major components from other automakers, including Mitsubishi. Since those inauspicious beginnings, Hyundai has been continually refining the Sonata, which now is its longest-running nameplate. Today, the Sonata stands as a formidable mid-size-sedan player itself worthy of imitation. It's gone from not being sold in the U.S.-that took until the Sonata's first redesign in the late 1980s-to being built in a factory in Alabama and eventually seeing American sales top 200,000 annually. Click through to see the Sonata's full path from 1986 to today:

The Hyundai Sonata's Complete History Visualized, from 1986 to Today

See the Sonata's progression from backwater budget play to the most stylish, advanced mid-size sedan out there.

From Car and Driver