South Korean car maker Hyundai is planning to bring its premium sports utility vehicle (SUV) Santa Fe to India. At present Tucson is the most premium offering in the Hyundai line-up in the country. For its comeback, Santa Fe will also grow longer to accommodate seven seats to take on the likes of Toyota Fortuner and others in the segment.
With sales going south, Hyundai Santa Fe was pulled out from Indian market last year. But Hyundai Motor India Ltd senior general manager (marketing) Puneet Anand confirmed that Santa Fe will return to India. Hyundai is expecting that European design will help it win better popularity this time. The SUV is likely to be brought to India through the completely knocked down (CKD) route.
In global markets, Santa Fe is available with both petrol and diesel engines; but its seven-seat variant is available only with a diesel unit. Globally, the Santa Fe gets the option of a 2.0-litre and a 2.2-litre diesel engine along with a 2.4-litre petrol engine. The 2.4-litre petrol engine churns out 185 bhp of power, while the 2-litre turbocharged sibling is good enough for 232 bhp.
The 2.2 CRDI diesel mill can produce 200 bhp of power and 440 Nm torque. It is likely that India would get the diesel version only. Apart from Toyota Fortuner, Santa Fe will take on Skoda Kodiaq, Honda CR-V, and Mahindra's upcoming Y 400.
