Auto Expo 2016: Hyundai Unveils Tucson

[Jijo_Malayil]

Hyundai has unveiled their global SUV Tucson at the Indian Auto Expo. This is the third generation of Tucson in the International markets. We in India would be familiar with first generation of Hyundai Tucson which was discontinued in 2008, courtesy poor sales figures.

This move comes in after sensing the recent demand for luxury crossovers in India. The Tucson gets a bold hexagonal grille and sleek dual LED projector headlamps. Space inside is aplenty with a well laid design theme, it stands out and looks premium. Optional 19 inch alloys are also up for grabs, a first from Hyundai.

Tucson will be powered by a 2.0 litre CRDi engine which in turn producing a peak power of 182 bhp and maximum Torque of 400 Nm. This is matted to a six speed transmission. Hyundai's active on demand all-wheel drive system is also being offered with the Tucson. List of features include a 405-watt Sirius audio system with a total of 8 speakers, a five inch touch screen interface, reversing camera among others.

Safety features include Automatic Emergency Braking, Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Warning System, Blind Spot Detection, Rear Cross-traffic Alert, Lane Change Assist among others. Tucson is expected to be launched by mid-2016 and expect prices to hover around the 18-20 lakh rupee mark.

[Roshun]

I quite like what Hyundai is doing with its SUV line up. The return of the Tucson comes at just the right time, while the earlier one was a bit ahead of its time. The Tucson comes into a market that is getting highly competitive. It will bridge the gap between the Hyundai Creta and the Hyundai Santa Fe.

[CorsaVeloce]

Walk-around video of the Tucson

[Roshun]

A full walkaround video of the new Hyundai Tucson. This SUV has the potential to fill a gap in the SUV market. It will likely fill the space between the Mahindra XUV500 and the Mahindra Ssangyong Rexton in the Rs. 16 lakh to Rs. 21 lakh price bracket. It will be positioned just above the Hyundai Creta. This gives Hyundai one more SUV between the Creta and Santa Fe. Take a look:

[Jijo_Malayil]

Tucson was spotted testing in Tamil Nadu recently. Hyundai is planning to position the Tucson between the Creta and the Sante Fe in their Indian line-up of SUVs. Prices are expected to hover around the 17-20 lakh rupee mark. Check out Tucson upcoming rival, the Honda HR-V

Image Courtesy: fly-wheel.com

[NikilSJ]

Namma Chennai! This is somewhere near the Madras High Court. The building on the right is the Parrys HQ I think.

[Arjun]

It looks like Hyundai is moving its focus form the small car segment to the more premium segments. With the premium cars like the Creta, Grand i10 and the Elite i20 doing good, I think Hyundai wants to move its brand to a little premium market. Earlier Hyundai had failed in this segment (Sonata, Elantra, etc) but the Creta has got it back in the price segment but in a different category.

[NikilSJ]

Arjun apparently Hyundai isn't planning on launching any budget hatchback this year. Saw a report on the Economic Times where it mentions that Hyundai will only focus on premium cars in FY '16.

"Tucson will be positioned between the in-demand Creta SUV and Santa-FE SUV. This vehicle along with Genesis Luxury brand, Sonata Hybrid, N Vision 2025 vehicle and all new 1 & 1.4 litre turbocharged petrol engine will be showcased at the Expo, which may become a mainstream engine for future cars." - Source - Economic Times

[Jijo_Malayil]

Here is a Carbuyer UK review of the upcoming Hyundai Tucson. Nicely done!

[Roshun]

Some more spy pictures of the Hyundai Tucson have emerged. The latest one was spotted near Chennai (which isn't surprising, considering Hyundai's manufacturing plant is at Sriperumbudur on the Chennai-Bengaluru highway). The Tucson will come with a 2-litre CRDi diesel engine (1995 cc) which would mean it can go on sale in all cities in India. It produces 178PS of power and 400 Nm of torque. The diesel ban has cut short plans of many other manufacturers such as Toyota, Mercedes, Tata, BMW, Audi and others.

The Tucson will be a five-seater SUV. It will be far more spacious compared to the Creta, and will compete in a segment that does not have too many five-seater players right now. It's nearest rivals are the Honda CR-V and Skoda Yeti, both of which are more expensive - if the Tucson comes in at the Rs. 20 lakh price point.

The Tucson would be placed between the Creta and the Santa Fe at a Rs. 16-lakh to Rs 20 lakh price point. Looks like Hyundai has it all sorted out and will likely launch this before the festive season this year.

[Jijo_Malayil]

Reports suggest that Hyundai is planning to price the upcoming Tucson aggressively in India, in the range of 17-22 lakh rupees. That puts it in direct competition with the top-end variants of Mahindra XUV500. Will Tucson find enough takers in India? Check out this Autocar India's review of the Tucson.

[kaiserketkar]

Yes, Hyundai's recent introductions have been getting more and more premium these days. And this, while the Grand i10 is giving serious competition to Suzuki Swift, overtaking it for a second time in the past 12 months. And the Elite i20 continuing to dominate it's rivals.
Hyundai's having a good year, up and down the spectrum!
The Tucson should do well, considering it's a Hyundai. Considering the success of the Creta, notwithstanding it's sticker price, I think they might just get away in charging a slight premium for the Tucson as well.

[NikilSJ]

Kaiserketkar Hyundai announced at this year's Auto Expo that they would only be focussing on the premium segment for the next two years. I guess the confidence stems from the fact that they are in a very good position in the budget hatch, compact sedan and C-Segment sedans as well. This could also mean that they might launch the premium Genesis brand in the next two years to compete directly with Mercedes, Audi and BMW. Now that's something worth waiting for.

[kaiserketkar]

Oooh yeah! Genesis should be really worth looking forward to!

[Jijo_Malayil]

According to reports Hyundai is likely to delay the Tucson launch to December this year. The reason being the new Hyundai Elantra is slated to make its debut in September and Hyundai Tucson could cannibalize the sales of the same, as they are going to similarly priced in the Indian market. Hyundai could give the new Elantra some time to establish itself in the market before launching its SUV sibling.