The 7-seat Hyundai
Tucson (Hyundai ix35) chassis mule has been spied on test in South Korea. The new Hyundai ix35 was introduced last
April built on the second-gen Tucson's hardware. It appears that
Beijing-Hyundai is working on a long-body version of it next. Spy shots show a
stretched wheelbase, but the elongated C-pillar is just a hack to get component
testing started. Expect a new top hat with Hyundai's new design language on the
deluxe Tucson variant.
Hyundai has a
different plan for the competitive three-row SUV in markets like India where
the Santa Fe is deemed expensive by the costing teams. It plans to launch the
fourth generation Tucson in 5- and 7-seat versions, the same way Volkswagen and
Honda offer the Tiguan (7-seat version: Tiguan Allspace/Tiguan L) and CR-V
respectively internationally.
The current Hyundai
Tucson, which starts at 18.30 lakh*, is assembled in India. Moved by the spurt
in demand for C-SUVs Mahindra XUV500 and the Jeep Compass, HMIL has reportedly
convinced the HQ to manufacture the fourth generation model in the country, and
that should lead, firstly, to lower pricing. Featuring a design inspired by
global models like the Kona, the fourth-gen Tucson will arrive in India between
2020 and 2023, serving as an option to Hyundai Creta owners who wish to
upgrade.
The bigger Hyundai
ix35 could go on sale in China sometime in 2019.
