Hyundai Australia has hinted the popular diesel engine option on its Tucson SUV could be going away.
Speaking at the Australian launch of the Ioniq 5 N electric car, Hyundai Australia product planning and development manager Tim Rodgers said we can expect a similar shift in offerings to the new Santa Fe – which will launch with an all-hybrid range in Australia and ditch diesel globally.
“Much like what we’re doing on Santa Fe, we’ll change our strategy in terms of powertrain availability with the introduction of [the] Tuscon Hybrid,” Mr Rodgers said.
“[Hybrid] will have a certain role to play, and that means we’ll sort of rationalise the powertrain lineup.”
Overseas models shown
Currently, the Hyundai Tucson is available in Australia with three powertrains: a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol with front-wheel drive (2WD), a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol with all-wheel drive (AWD), and a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel with AWD.
The 2.0D offers a healthy 137kW of power and 416Nm of torque, making it the most powerful option in the local lineup. Elsewhere in the world, the 169kW Tucson Hybrid and 195kW Tucson Plug-in Hybrid are also available.
In Korea, the facelifted Tucson has lost the outgoing model’s base engine, now offering the 1.6T as the base engine, with the 2.0D and 1.6T Hybrid (HEV) available as the more premium options. As before, the 1.6T features a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT), while the diesel gets an eight-speed auto and the HEV features a six-speed auto.
All three powertrain options in Korea offer 2WD and AWD options. For Australia, we’re expecting the 1.6T to remain AWD-only with the facelift, while there’s potential for both 2WD and AWD versions of the Tucson Hybrid to make it Down Under pending supply.
In 2023 the Hyundai Tucson was Australia’s fourth best-selling mid-size SUV under $60,000 according to VFACTS, with 21,224 units registered for the calendar year.
The Tucson trailed the Toyota RAV4 (29,627), Mitsubishi Outlander (24,263) and Mazda CX-5 (23,083) – and that’s without an electrified option like the Toyota and Mitsubishi.
Unlike the related Kia Sportage Hybrid – which was detailed earlier this week – Hyundai Australia shouldn’t be as supply restricted with the electrified Tucson, which could see it steadily climb up the sales ladder.
Mr Rodgers told CarExpert Hyundai is expecting “healthy supply” of the Tucson HEV for the Australian market. “We’re not going to be super constrained like our cousins [at Kia],” Mr Rodgers said.
Tucson N Line (Korea)
The 2024 Hyundai Tucson range is expected to arrive in Australia around mid-year, including the option of hybrid for the first time, as well as retaining the popular N Line package as an option.
You can read about the confirmed updates from the most recent global announcement here.
Let us know in the comments if you want the Tucson to keep its diesel option!
