New Tucson with Hybrid Model Joins... Will It Overtake Its 'Older Brother' Santa Fe?

Hybrid Pre-Orders Reach 5,000 Units on First Day

4th Generation New Tucson (Photo by Hyundai Motor Company)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The initial momentum of the completely redesigned 4th generation Hyundai Tucson after five years is remarkable. Following the 10,000 units recorded on the first day of pre-orders for the gasoline and diesel models in mid-last month, the hybrid model achieved 5,000 pre-orders in just one day on the 28th.

According to the industry on the 2nd, the new Tucson hybrid, which began pre-orders on the 28th of last month, secured about 5,000 contracts on the first day. Including the gasoline and diesel models that started pre-orders about two weeks earlier, the total number of contracts is reported to be close to 20,000 units.

The new Tucson recorded 10,842 contracts in just one day during the pre-order period that began on the 16th of last month. It is the first time a Hyundai SUV has exceeded 10,000 pre-orders in a single day. Even when expanding the scope to all Hyundai models, it ranks second highest historically, following the The New Grandeur (17,294 units). Notably, only the gasoline and diesel models were available for pre-order at that time, making Tucson’s achievement even more significant.

Until now, the compact SUV market had been shrinking amid a trend favoring larger vehicles and the growing presence of small SUVs targeting younger generations. In response, Tucson aimed for a turnaround with a significantly larger body and the introduction of a hybrid model in this complete redesign.

The All-New Santa Fe (Photo by Hyundai Motor Company)

The new Tucson’s length, width, and height are 4630 mm, 1865 mm, and 1665 mm, respectively, which are increases of 150 mm, 15 mm, and 20 mm compared to the previous model. The wheelbase has also been extended by 85 mm to 2755 mm. It is not significantly different from the 4th generation facelift model ‘The New Santa Fe’ (length 4785 mm, width 1900 mm, height 1685 mm), which was released three months earlier. Because of this, there have been concerns since the new Tucson’s specifications were revealed that it could threaten the popularity of the Santa Fe.

Additionally, the uncertain domestic release of the Santa Fe hybrid model appears to be a favorable factor for Tucson. The Santa Fe shares its powertrain with Kia’s Sorento, and the Sorento hybrid failed to meet the eco-friendly vehicle tax benefit criteria as of March. Since it seems difficult for the Santa Fe hybrid to be launched within this year, Tucson, which offers a hybrid lineup in a similar size, is highly likely to capture that demand.

An industry insider said, "The demand for mid-size hybrid SUVs was already confirmed by the record of 12,000 units on the first day of pre-orders for the Sorento hybrid," adding, "Among Hyundai-Kia’s SUVs in similar classes, Tucson clearly has an advantage as the only model certified as an eco-friendly vehicle, making it eligible for tax benefits."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.