At the 2024 Chengdu Auto Show, the all-new Hyundai Santa Fe of Beijing Hyundai was officially launched. The new car has launched a total of 5 models, with the price range of 195,800 – 268,800 yuan. As the fifth-generation model, the new car adopts a brand-new design style, breaking the inherent impression of the previous Santa Fe. The overall shape is very square and tough. It has a good competitiveness in the US market, but whether it can help Beijing Hyundai reverse the sluggish state in the domestic market still needs market tests. Looking back at the appearance, the fifth-generation Santa Fe adopts a brand-new design language, and the appearance uses more straight-line elements, presenting a tougher style. Specifically, the new car adopts a narrow-strip grille combined with a central through-type light belt, and adds an LED light belt in the middle of the diamond-shaped black honeycomb-shaped intake grille. The front bumper also presents a visual effect of the H-shaped, greatly enhancing the visual layering of this car. The interior of the front lamp group adopts H-shaped LED daytime running lights. At the same time, the addition of similar H-shaped daytime running lights greatly enhances the recognition of the vehicle. From the side, the new car adopts angular and slightly protruding front and rear fender shapes, combined with the multi-spoke wheel rim shape, making this car fashionable and hardcore. At the same time, the car also adopts the popular floating roof design, combined with the black roof luggage rack, which enhances the layering while improving the practicality of the vehicle. At the rear of the car, the new generation of Santa Fe adopts a brand-new design shape, with a nearly vertical trunk lid shape. The addition of H-shaped taillight groups on both sides also echoes the front, and the turn signals are located at the lower bumper. The rear window has a quite good field of vision. In terms of size, the length, width and height of the new car are 4,830/1,900/1,770mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 2,815mm. It is still positioned as a medium-sized SUV, and two layouts of 5-seat and 7-seat are available for selection. Compared with the old model, the height of the all-new Santa Fe has increased by 60mm, and other aspects have declined, among which the wheelbase has decreased by 50mm. For the interior part, the fifth-generation Santa Fe is similar to the eleventh-generation Sonata, but more straight-line designs are added to echo the appearance. The center console adopts an integrated screen design composed of a 12.3-inch instrument panel and a 12.3-inch central control screen. The three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel, through-type air conditioning outlets and the 6.6-inch touch screen below further optimize the operational convenience during driving. In addition, the new car also adopts a column shifter structure, further saving the space below the center console to set up cup holders and wireless charging pads. In terms of power, the new car will be equipped with a 2.0T + 8AT power combination. Among them, the maximum power of the 2.0T engine is 182kW, and the peak torque is 353N·m. In terms of the suspension structure, after adopting the front MacPherson independent suspension + rear multi-link independent suspension, there is a non-full-size spare tire under the trunk. After the domestic production of the all-new Santa Fe, the wheelbase has not been lengthened. It is unknown whether this is based on cost considerations or product confidence. However, from the actual space experience, the performance of the all-new Santa Fe is not inferior to that of its counterparts at the same level. Compared with the Highlander, especially the rich storage space in the front row, it is even better than some Japanese counterparts that focus on space practicality at the same level. As a medium-sized SUV, the competitors of Santa Fe include Toyota Highlander, Ford Edge and other joint-venture medium-sized SUVs. Previously, the Highlander has long dominated the joint-venture medium-sized SUV market, and other brand models mainly compete for market share by reducing prices. But now, the days of Toyota Highlander are not as good as before. Domestic medium-sized SUVs such as Trumpchi GS8, Haval Xiaolong MAX, and BYD Guardian 07 are also gradually enhancing their product power, and they have also become more direct competitors of Santa Fe and Highlander. Retail data shows that from January to July 2024, the sales volume of Hyundai Santa Fe was only 366 units, which was very dismal. Although Hyundai cars sell quite well in the US market and is also the world’s third-largest automaker, as a joint venture, Beijing Hyundai’s sales in the Chinese market are very dismal. Currently, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles has exceeded that of fuel vehicles, and the future growth potential of the Chinese market also relies on new energy vehicles. In contrast, Beijing Hyundai has very few new energy vehicles currently on sale. It can be said to be one of the joint venture brands with the slowest transformation. At the same time, the lack of competitiveness of fuel vehicles compared with同业 brands has led to a continuous decline in sales. Dealers have to sell cars at a loss to complete the manufacturer’s sales tasks. The Hyundai Group is accelerating the adjustment of its pace in China. In the Chinese market, the number of models sold by Hyundai will be reduced from the current 13 to 8, and it is planned to sell high-end models such as “Genesis” centered in Shanghai and other high-priced models. In addition, in order to enhance the damaged brand image, Hyundai will focus on high-performance models. According to the plan, Beijing Hyundai will achieve full hybridization of fuel vehicles in 2025 and build a hybridization product matrix of one MPV, two sedans and three SUV models in the next 3-5 years to achieve an annual production and sales scale of 300,000 hybrid products.
The appearance has been greatly changed! The price of the fifth-generation Hyundai Santa Fe has been announced
