Hyundai Motor to unveil upgraded Santa Fe this week

By Choi Kyong-ae

SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Motor Co. said Tuesday it will launch the upgraded Santa Fe SUV in South Korea this week to boost sales amid the new coronavirus outbreak.

The facelifted model of the fourth-generation Santa Fe will come out Wednesday with a 2.2-liter diesel engine and an eight-speed dual clutch transmission, the company said in a statement.

Hyundai said it also plans to introduce a Santa Fe model with a 2.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine and the eight-speed dual clutch transmission later this year.

The upgraded Santa Fe is equipped with safety features, such as lane following assist, parking collision-avoidance assist-reverse (PCA-R), front collision avoidance, blind-spot collision-avoidance assist and highway driving assist systems, the statement said.

The diesel-powered model is priced from 31 million won-40 million won (US$26,000-$33,000), it said.

The Santa Fe adopts what Hyundai calls Sensuous Sportiness, defined by harmony among four fundamental elements in vehicle design -- proportion, architecture, styling and technology.

Hyundai has applied the new design concept to the upgraded model of the sixth-generation Grandeur that was launched in 2016, the new Sonata sedan launched last year, the all-new Avante compact launched in April and the all-electric concept Prophecy.

kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
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