Hyundai i30 sedan hybrid confirmed, Tucson hybrid almost confirmed
Hyundai Australia has confirmed the addition of a petrol-electric hybrid variant as part of the facelifted Hyundai i30 sedan range in the second half of 2023, and heavily hinted that a hybrid version of the popular Hyundai Tucson will arrive in the second half of 2024.
The rollout of these two models, which would give the Korean brand a direct rival for the popular Toyota Corolla Hybrid and Toyota RAV4 Hybrid for the first time, is the latest evidence of the hybrid push Hyundai first revealed to carsales last year.
The i30 sedan and Tucson will be added to a hybrid Hyundai model line-up that currently only includes the Santa Fe, but will soon be joined by the new-generation Kona hybrid in the third quarter of 2023.
New-gen Hyundai Kona
But there are also understood to be other electrified models in the pipeline that have yet to break cover and Hyundai is yet to confirm for Australia.
During a presentation at this week’s Hyundai IONIQ 6 media launch, Hyundai Australia’s Direct to Customer Senior Manager, Andrew Stamatakis, confirmed the i30 hybrid sedan for local release and promised the company would “have an electrified model in every single SUV segment we operate in by the end of next year”.
The Tucson Hybrid is an obvious candidate to be part of that expansion because Hyundai Australia has been chasing it for years, with the goal of breaking the Toyota RAV4’s domination of the enormous mid-size SUV market segment.
Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
Hyundai Australia chief operating officer John Kett went a fair way toward confirming the Tucson Hybrid when interviewed by carsales after Stamatakis’ presentation.
“The fact we have a Kona ICE [petrol], Kona Hybrid, Kona EV and we are going to have a Santa Fe Hybrid and ICE, it makes sense that the middle car would merge over time.
“We will just wait and see.”
Break Stamatakis’ promise down and it seems slightly less aggressive than what it initially sounds.
New Hyundai i30 Sedan
As defined by industry sales statistician VFACTS, Hyundai competes in the following SUV segments: Light (Venue), Small SUV under $45,000 (Kona), Medium SUV under $60,000 (Tucson), Medium SUV over $60,000 (IONIQ 5 and NEXO) and Large under $70,000 (Santa Fe and Palisade).
It will also add the IONIQ 5 N in the Medium SUV over $60K segment late in 2023 and expand into the Large SUV over $70,000 segment (or possibly the Upper Large SUV under $120,000 segment) with the big IONIQ 7 electric SUV in 2024.
That means Hyundai has to at least source an electrified Light SUV and a Medium SUV before the end of 2024.
In the former there is no Venue hybrid currently on sale internationally that would obviously slot in. In the latter segment the Tucson Hybrid is the raging red-hot favourite.
“It’s obviously there and its available globally so we’d be crazy not to ask for it,” Hyundai product planning boss Tim Rodgers told carsales.
Hyundai’s new hybrid models are likely to arrive alongside model facelifts and generational changes.
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Keyword: Hyundai reveals hybrid model rush