The launch of locally assembled Hyundai Santa Fe is the talk of the local auto market these days. The serious buzz about this luxury car started when its locally assembled unit was spotted in Deosai. As per reports and our sources, the company was testing the car’s road durability, which means its launch is quite close. And now our reliable sources have updated us about the launch of this new offering by Hyundai Nishat Motors.

According to them, the company is all set to reveal and launch its 5th CKD model in Pakistan. The sources have claimed that Hyundai will launch this car in the next few weeks. “It could happen either at the end of this month or the start of next month, October,” the sources told us. They further added that Hyundai will hold a mega event for this purpose in Lahore. If the sources are telling the truth, it means that we are going to get a new car from Hyundai very soon.

Notably, the spotting of CKD Santa Fe was quite surprising as there were no rumours about its launch. However, one of the PakWheels Community members saw the car in northern areas of Pakistan and told us, and everyone came to know about this new machine by Hyundai Pakistan. The launch of this new car will surely make some noise in the currently stagnant industry due to volatile economic conditions.

Hyundai Santa Fe

Santa Fe is a city in New Mexico State of the United States, and one of the most imported nameplates for Hyundai. The model’s first generation went into production in 2000, and since then, it has been a success for the brand. In fact, Santa Fe is the first-ever sports utility vehicle for Hyundai, and since its inception, it has hit almost 5.3 million in global sales.

The Santa Fe first generation was in a compact segment category, but over the years, it grew in size and now targets the mid-size segment depending upon the market; it is available in a 3-row -7 seat option besides a standard 2-row -5 seat version. Hyundai Global recently introduced an all-new 5th-generation model, which will be available for sale in North America, Korea, and Europe later this year.

Salient Specs & Features 

The 4th generation, with chassis code “TM,” went into production in 2018 and got a major facelift in 2020. Hyundai Santa Fe is the nonidentical twin of the Kia Sorento, and both models have been sharing technical under the skin. When the 4th generation Santa Fe was introduced in 2018, it shared its underpinning (Y-Platform) with the 3rd generation Sorento (the same model we currently have in Pakistan).

The model got a new cascading wide grill with new headlights integrated into the grill. This provides a wider and sporty character. There are T-shaped LED DRLs, while depending on variants, there can be dual projector high and low beams (side by side) or dual stacked LED reflector headlights. The models with projector headlights also get the sequential turn signal, which changes the upper portion of DRL into amber.

Although we don’t know exactly which headlights we will see on our local model, there might be a dual LED reflector in one short video clip. In this case, a typical turn signal is next to the headlight housing.

The imagery we got from Deosai doesn’t reveal any interior details, but we know how it will look regarding layout. Obviously, the options, features, and equipment we see on the international model might not land here in our local model, but we can hope and wish that we get the maximum out of it.

The facelift model gets a new and high-tech interior. There is a new floating center console that holds several buttons to control HVAC, media, and other functions. The facelift model also gets a shift-by-wire transmission similar to the Hyundai Sonata; this provides a new design for the center console, creating ample storage space available underneath it.

Engine of Hyundai Santa Fe

The 4th gen Santa FE facelift is available in multiple configurations, which include conventional 178hp 2.5L MPI, 191hp 2.5L GDI, 227hp 2.0L Turbo GDI, 277hp, 2.5L Turbo GDI, 268hp 3.5L MPI engine. Santa Fe is also available in 2.2L diesel, but the more attractive version is 1.6L Turbo GDI hybrid and 1.6L Turbo GDI plugin hybrid.

The HEV/ normal Hybrid uses a 59hp electric motor integrated into the transmission. The engine delivers 178hp, which, in combination with an electric motor, produces a combined 227hp 350Nm of torque. There is a space-saving 270 Volt 1.49kWh lithium-ion battery under the driver seat.

Price

There is no announcement regarding the price of the locally assembled Santa Fe by the company; however, market experts and our sources believe that it would be between Rs. 1.7 and 1.9 crore.