The facelifted Hyundai Tucson is expected to launching later this year with cosmetic revisions and technological changes
In India, the Tucson is sold in the price range between Rs. 18.75 lakh and Rs. 26.95 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). It primarily competes against Jeep Compass, Mahindra XUV500, Honda CR-V and the likes. The Tucson is one of the models in the premium end of the scale suffering big sales decline. In June 2019, Hyundai retailed only 63 units of the Tucson as against 148 units during the same month last year.
This led to a huge sales drop of 57 per cent. Overall, Hyundai managed to garner just over 42,000 units last month with 7.3 per cent YoY sales decrease. The South Korean auto major introduced the first all-electric SUV in India, the Kona Electric, a few days ago and is priced at Rs. 25.30 lakh (ex-showroom). It has a range of 452 km and can be replenished back to 80 per cent using the fast charger in just 57 minutes.
Hyundai will endure busy months during the course of this year as it has new launches waiting in the pipeline including the next generation Grand i10 coming out this festive season. While the facelifted Elantra has already been spotted testing in more occasions than one, the updated sedan’s launch could be preceded by the facelifted Tucson to revive its fortunes in the domestic market.
Reports of the arrival of the updated Hyundai Tucson have been there for long. It was said to launch in May 2019 but it did not turn out to be the case. Hyundai introduced the refreshed Tucson at the 2018 New York Motor Show more than a year ago. The mid-life changes include exterior revisions such as tweaks to the headlamps with full LED tech, new cascading front grille, reworked fog lamps and bumpers among others.
Hyundai appears to be working on the next generation Tucson for debut in 2021 with a seven-seater configuration and more advanced interior. Therefore, we can safely assume the existing 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines to stay put in the facelift. The former develops 155 horsepower and the latter kicks out 185 horsepower. They can be had with either six-speed manual or six-speed AT.
More safety and driver assistive technologies can be expected in the upcoming SUV. They may include Electronic Stability Control, Hill Assist and Brake Assist. Additionally, the eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system will see updates as well.