Hyundai Santa Fe by Oct-Nov

Hyundai Motor India is all set to launch its much awaited sports utility vehicle Hyundai Santa Fe to make its presence in India’s growing SUV market. Hyundai Santa Fe might be priced between Rs 22-24 lakh. The car will hit the Indian showrooms in October – November.

The Hyundai Santa Fe will be powered by a 2188cc, 2.2L, 4-cylinder, 16-valve, CRTD, SOHC engine with 5 speed manual gear box that produces 154bhp power at 4000 rpm and 343Nm torque at 1800-2500 rpm. The Hyundai Santa Fe might also come with an automatic transmission option. The SUV is designed to look stylish and sporty with smooth flow-lines keeping the youth in mind. Santa Fe would have two-tone beige interiors with color-coded wood and aluminium trim. Standard features like power windows, keyless entry, A/C, CD/MP3 player, alloy wheels, ABS (Antilock Braking System), electronic stability control, and side airbags (dual front, front side and side curtain), automatic headlights, leather seats, dual-zone surround automatic climate control etc are all a part of the new Santa Fe. Arvind Saxena, director, (marketing and sales), Hyundai Motor India was quoted, "We will launch Sante Fe in October-November, ahead of the festive season. If volumes pick up, then we will consider assembling the vehicle here.”

Earlier Hyundai had launched its SUVs Terracan and Tuscon but then withdrew them from the Indian market. Currently Hyundai Motor India offers Hyundai Santro, Hyundai i10, Hyundai i20 etc in the Indian market.

At present the Indian SUV segment is growing at the rate of 18-20 per cent. Some of the recent launches in this segment like Toyota Fortuner have met with instant success. Other new SUVs scheduled to be launched are Skoda Yeti and Nissan Murano while the existing players include Honda CR-V, Chevrolet Captiva, Ford Endeavour, Nissan X Trail, Mitsubishi Outlander et al.