Sonata for SEMA

SEMA is just around the corner, and the OEMs are rolling out with their tricked-out vehicles meant to resonate with that cadre in the youth culture that still think that cars are something of interest.

Hyundai announced that one of the cars it will be displaying in the Las Vegas Convention Center is a 2015 Sonata that has been modified under the direction of John Pangilinan.

Who?

Yes, that’s what I wondered. So I Googled him and discovered that he is. . .a PR guy.

Or, as he puts it on his site: “Resides in Downtown Long Beach, CA and worked the agency life for a number of years before moving into the freelance world where he specializes in PR, marketing and photography. When not traveling with the Formula DRIFT series, he can be found surfing, watching MMA, or building various project cars.”

The car in question uses the stock white paint. Then he and Flexfit| SCMP and Mr. 44, “a renowned Los Angeles-based street artist” (again: who knew?) set to work on the vehicle.

About the car, Pangilinan said, “This build features a balance of performance products, in-car entertainment with the latest innovations and clean styling, representing the enthusiasts whose cars showcase an extension of their personalities and lifestyles.”

Indeed.

Mechanically, there are:

· AEM cold-air intake

· MagnaFlow exhaust kit

· Bisimoto engineering hot-charge pipe

· KW coilovers

Also:

· LTMW lip kit

· 19-in. RAYS Gram Light 57 Getter wheels

· Toyo R888 tires

And inside the car:

· RECARO cross sportster seats in the front

· BP Auto Sound engineered audio system with Alpine and Scosche electronics

Pangilinan: “Inspired by a trip earlier this year to the Pow! Wow! Hawai’i art event in Hawaii, I wanted to connect the street art culture to automotive, without going too over the top with a full blown art car.”

Well, it is a 2015 Sonata.

(What do I mean by that, you might wonder. Well, were it a 2014 Sonata, the midsize that changed everything people thought a midsize should look like, then arguably it, in and of itself, could be considered a “full-blown art car” with its Fluidic Sculpture design language.)