Hyundai 2.4 Theta II GDI

The company revs output of its four-cylinder family with its first application of gasoline direct injection.

Hyundai is entering the gasoline direct injection (GDI) fray with the introduction of the 2.4-L Theta II inline four-cylinder engine, slated to launch in the 2011 Sonata sedan.

A decade ago, Hyundai had installed a GDI engine, the type-8A80, in its 1999 Equus executive sedan/limousine, but the 4.5-L V8 was of foreign origin, hailing from Mitsubishi Motor Corp. It was a stratified-charge, lean-burn GDI-an ambitious endeavor, but lacking in performance and, worse still, fuel economy.