Hyundai will at last have a genuine hybrid SUV in Australia by June next year, with the brand today confirming the Santa Fe Hybrid would touch down locally around June next year, with the hopes the larger SUV can steal sales off the smaller Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and the incoming Toyota Kluger Hybrid.
But while we will get the hybrid, the PHEV version of the same SUV has been essentially ruled out for Australia, with the brand citing costs and complexity.
That's the word from Hyundai's GM of product management, Andrew Tuitahi, who says the electrified Santa Fe will be in Australia "in the middle of 2021" confirming the brand is "working hard" for hybrid technology.
The Santa Fe is a particularly powerful hybrid, with the SUV pairing a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine with an electric motor to deliver around 168kW/350Nm.
"We see it as an opportunity. That's why we're getting it on Santa Fe. We're looking at what we can do with the passenger cars at the moment, but it's still under study," says Tuitahi
"(The Santa Fe) will be in the middle of next year."
`the brand confirming that vehicle is still "under study" for out market. That said, we know Hyundai is keen to get as many electrified variants as it can, so watch this space.
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold.
But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul.
And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard.
When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House.
But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others.
More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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