Electric cars will spearhead Hyundai Australia's latest product onslaught, but where is the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid-fighting Tucson SUV?

Hyundai is readying a wave of new electrified models in a bid to recover lost ground in the sales race and establish itself as an electric vehicle leader.

Fresh off launching 18 new or updated models in an 18-month period, the South Korean brand’s Australian operation has confirmed it will introduce 17 new or facelifted products between now and early 2024. This will include the Ioniq 6 sedan, and are also likely to encompass the Ioniq 7 large SUV and the high-performance Ioniq 5 N, as well as hybrid powertrains across some of its most popular nameplates.

John Kett, chief operating officer for Hyundai Australia, said electrification - both battery electric and hybrid models - will form the centrepiece of this new model charge.

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“We’re going to keep leading with our zero emissions portfolio - so that will expand,” Mr Kett said at the launch of the new Santa Fe Hybrid. “We’re going to, where possible during the upgrades of our ICE vehicles to expand into hybrid, but we can’t confirm all of those. The general upgrades that we’ve seen will give us 17 new vehicles or product upgrades in the next 19 months.”

Expanding the Ioniq range will seemingly be a priority, with the Ioniq 6 the first to arrive in the first quarter of 2023. This will likely be followed by the often-spied and long-rumoured Ioniq 5 N, which will be the brand’s first crossover between its electric and performance sub-brands.

The bigger addition, literally, will be the Ioniq 7, which is a full-size, all-electric SUV that was previewed by the Seven Concept at the 2021 Los Angeles Motor Show and will likely hit local roads by the middle of 2024.

Expanding the Ioniq range will seemingly be a priority, with the Ioniq 6 the first to arrive in the first quarter of 2023.

Following the launch of the Santa Fe Hybrid, the petrol-electric powertrain combination will also become a priority for the brand. The most likely next addition will be the new-generation Kona small SUV and the updated i30 Sedan.

The refreshed Kona will also mean new petrol-powered models, including an N variant, as well as a replacement for the current Kona Electric. 

The i30 Sedan is already available with a hybrid powertrain in selected markets around the world, so adding it here as part of a hybrid expansion is logical.

The all-electric SUV Seven Concept was previewed at the Los Angeles Motor Show in 2021.

It’s unclear if the i30 hatch will play a role in this new model roll-out with question marks hanging over the future of the European-focused hatchback.

Reports have indicated Hyundai is considering replacing the i30 with another compact SUV - or could drop it altogether given the similarities to the Kona - as small car sales decline around the world. The model was updated in 2021 so won’t be leaving Australian showrooms anytime soon, but will likely remain in its current petrol-only form.

Another model that will be an update in the next 18 months will be the Sonata mid-size sedan, but it’s tipped to be the final update for the car as we know it. A 2023 styling overhaul will likely be the last act for the Sonata here, with declining sales in the crucial US market seemingly putting the model on borrowed time. And despite Hyundai’s Australia’s hybrid push and the option to introduce a hybrid variant, the Sonata N-Line will remain the only option for local buyers.

The long-rumoured Ioniq 5 N will be the brand’s first crossover between its electric and performance sub-brands. (Image: William Vicente)

Another possible new addition as part of this model rejuvenation is the Tucson Hybrid, but it wouldn’t arrive here until after the mid-size SUV is given a mid-life facelift, which means an early 2024 launch is the most likely timeframe.

The only other model we are confident predicting as part of this Hyundai refresh is an all-new Santa Fe. While the company executives won’t say anything, there have been spy photographs from Europe that confirm a new Santa Fe is on its way. This will likely hit Australian showrooms in early 2024, at the tailend of this latest new product cycle, giving the brand an almost entirely renewed range in a three-year period.