New model every month coming from Hyundai

Hyundai has this week launched its all-new Santa Fe, but the seven-seat family SUV is just the first of several new models due by the end of this year.

Slated to arrive in showrooms from early July, the fourth-generation Santa Fe is one of four new or heavily facelifted Hyundai SUVs expected in the next six months, when the Korean car-maker’s small hatch range will also grow by two.

Following the new Santa Fe in August will be an updated version of the smaller Tucson SUV, as revealed at the New York motor show in March.

The mid-size Tucson receives a number of technology, styling and safety highlights from Hyundai’s flagship SUV, including adaptive cruise control, wireless phone charging, 360-degree parking camera and driver attention warning.

Driveline options will continue to include the 2.0-litre petrol (120kW), 1.6-litre turbo-petrol (130kW) and 2.0-litre turbo-diesel (136kW), the latter with the Santa Fe’s new eight-speed automatic transmission as standard.

Pricing will be announced closer to the Tucson’s local launch.

The Tucson will be joined by Hyundai’s highly anticipated Toyota Prius-challenger, the IONIQ, in September.

Available as a petrol-electric hybrid, plug-in hybrid or pure-electric vehicle, the five-door IONIQ hatch range will be competitively priced, its $31,000 retail figure slotting the entry model between Toyota’s Corolla Hybrid (from $27,530) and Prius (from $35,690).

In “late September or early October” we’ll see the arrival of the second-generation Veloster and Veloster Turbo sports hatch range.

The all-new asymmetric four-door hatch is a chunkier, more angular take on its more rounded predecessor, and will include the choice of 2.0-litre petrol (110kW) and 1.6-litre turbo-petrol (150kW) power depending on the variant.

It will likely be priced from “around $30,000”, Hyundai says.

The hotter Veloster N – which will go on sale in the United States next year – is under consideration for the Australian market despite not currently being offered in right-hand drive.

It will challenge the newly-launched i30 N hot hatch on power and performance, thanks to a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol making 202kW/378Nm.

Hyundai Australia will have “a few examples” of its new all-electric Kona available for evaluation from November, with customer sales to follow “early in the new year”.

Tipped to become the brand’s second sub-$50,000 electric vehicle after the IONIQ, the funky Kona EV offers total system power of 150kW and will likely be offered with a choice of two battery packs (39.2 or 64.2kWh).

The Kona EV boasts an NEDC range of up to 480km, which puts it within striking distance of the costly (and considerably larger) Tesla Model S and Model X, and almost double the range of the second-generation Nissan LEAF that’s yet to arrive here.

The Fastback version of the i30 N will take centre stage in local Hyundai showrooms in “December, possibly January”.

The stylish take on Hyundai’s inaugural hot hatch will hit 100km/h in 6.1sec and promises a luxe interior rivalling premium versions of the current i30 N hatch.

Powered by a 202kW 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four, the i30 N Fastback will initially be offered with a six-speed manual transmission only, but will be available with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic by 2020.

Hyundai says that owing to exchange rate pressures and model range complexity, Australians will only be offered the hot ‘N’ version of the i30 Fastback, meaning the mainstream versions sold in Europe (and pictured above) won’t come here.

Finally, and with an even bigger push towards Hyundai’s multi-pronged eco-friendly aspirations, is the “early 2019” arrival of the hydrogen-powered NEXO.

Although Hyundai admits it’s struggling to provide the infrastructural requirements a mainstream hydrogen car requires, it has strong interest from a range of smaller government and corporate bodies keen on trialling the technology.

Hyundai’s NEXO offers a claimed range of up to 600km, its 95kW hydrogen fuel tanks powering a 40kW battery that in turn drives a 120kW electric motor.

Combined output of 135kW sees the NEXO accelerate to 100km/h in 9.6sec — an improvement of 2.9sec over Hyundai’s previous fuel-cell electric vehicle, the Tucson FCEV.

Hyundai will also launch its Genesis premium brand in October — through two company-owned outlets, initially only in Melbourne and Sydney.

Visit motoring.com.au again from July 5 for our first Australian review of the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe.

What’s coming from Hyundai:
July: New Santa Fe
August: Facelifted Tucson
September: All-new IONIQ range
October: New Veloster, Veloster Turbo
November: Kona Electric
December: All-new i30 N Fastback
Early 2019: All-new NEXO