New Hyundai cars coming to South Africa in 2024

Hyundai is prepping for another exciting year in South Africa in 2024, as there are at least four launches that local motorists can look forward to, with another potentially in the works.

The roster thus far will include the introduction of the new Santa Fe as well as the facelifted i20, i30, and Tucson, according to IOL.

While no official announcement has been made, the affordable Exter crossover has also previously been stated to be under consideration for a South African debut and would slot under the Venue as the brand’s entry-level SUV if it does make it to our shores in the near future.

What’s in store

The big new Hyundai launch for this year will be the Santa Fe, the South Korean manufacturer’s more affordable seven-seater option after the Palisade (which was updated last year), and which is already on sale in markets overseas.

The Santa Fe last received a facelift in 2021, but the new model sports a radical redesign with a more rigid and blocky look, as seems to be the current fashion trend amongst several carmakers these days.

The fifth-generation SUV has ditched the curved body and open grille of the previous iteration in favour of a more boxy appearance including a flat front end that wouldn’t look out of place on an electric car, complete with a new set of LED headlights and daytime running lights.

Likewise, the interior has seen a complete overhaul with a dual-screen display for the instruments and infotainment, a more rectangular dashboard with a modernized centre console, and two-tone upholstery.

It, of course, retains its seven seats with a generous boot size of 413 litres, which can be increased even further to 1,146 litres when the rear bench is folded.

Hyundai has yet to confirm the South African specifications for the incoming vehicle with the engine being the biggest question mark, but overseas it is offered with a 2.5-litre, naturally-aspirated petrol plant as well as a 1.6-litre, turbo-petrol hybrid, though the latter is rather unlikely given that the company has thus far decided not to bring any of its electrified models to domestic showrooms.

The other units scheduled for this year are the revised i20 and i30 hatchbacks and the midsize Tucson SUV, all of which are still rather new in the grand scheme of things.

The current i20, for example, only arrived in 2021 while the Tucson and i30 appeared in 2022, but the reality is that these cars actually went on sale in other markets much earlier with the Covid pandemic being partially responsible for the delay.

The incoming versions will therefore serve as mid-life updates, and thus the changes this time around aren’t as dramatic as they are for the Santa Fe – being mostly cosmetic in nature.

The powertrains should also remain the same for their respective line-ups, as the automaker previously confirmed to TopAuto that it is not investigating any hybrid options for the domestic market at the moment.

One important thing to note about the i30 is that it will still be exclusively sold in its N hot hatch form, and South Africa can expect an “upgrade” from it this year, a company representative told TopAuto.