Hyundai's new Santa Fe is going to be one of the important SUV launches next year along with the Ford EcoSport.
Meanwhile, Hyundai has launched the new version of the SUV carrying the "Storm Edge" design in China on the Christmas eve. The handsome SUV will be fighting it out with cars like the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, VW Tiguan and Nissan X-Trail to win the hearts of the Chinese family.
The Chinese version is powered by a pair of two petrol engines displacing 2.0 litre and 2.4 litre. The 2.4 litre is the older engine and develops 189 bhp whereas the new 2.0 litre turbo petrol puts out a healthy 245 bhp. Both the engines are coupled to a 6-speed automatic transmission and the manual option is no longer available.
The new Santa Fe is assembled locally by the Beijing-Hyundai JV and hence it is around 20% cheaper than its predecessor which was imported into China. The car is priced between 219,800 Yuan (around Rs.19.33 lakhs) and 309,800 Yuan (around Rs.27.24 lakhs).
In India, the new Santa Fe will derive its power from the same 2.2 litre 194 bhp diesel engine as the current version which makes it the most powerful SUV in its class. The car comes with high-end features such as sunroof, GPS, leather seats and engine start/stop button.
Hyundai India has already finished the initial round of customer study and the car is expected to be here by mid-2013 wearing an estimated price tag of Rs. 23-25 lakhs.
[Source: Carnewschina.com & Auto.Sohu.com]
