Sharing my opinion post from FB here..
Hyundai Tucson Update:
[ unofficial ]
There is a lot of buzz about the Pakistan Auto show in Lahore @ Expo Centre started today and will continue till February 23rd . You can also visit the show or you can follow PAKWHEELS social media as well as editorial https://www.pakwheels.com/blog for all the coverage.
KIA which is the subsidiary of the Hyundai Motor Group , started its operation mid last year and already started production of passenger vehicle in shape of Sportage . HYUNDAI on the other end was little slow and people were waiting in excitement.
Last year they introduced a mid-size, 3 row SUV Santa FE , which is a CBU and 100% import and on order. At almost 19 Million price [ before registration and other associated costs ], the Santa FE is happily residing on few showrooms floors. Public was eagerly waiting for something which is affordable and that is what the need of the market . HYUNDAI promised last year that they will be bringing a locally assembled vehicle this year/ 2020 and it will go on sale in 2020.
For last several days HYUNDAI was teasing with partially visible pictures and although it seemed to be a teaser image, it was not a teaser as everyone could get that it’s a Tucson SUV [ Tu-són and not TUK-SON ].
Today was the day Tucson removed the burqa and we were able to see the real face. The vehicle on display is a CBU, which means it is an imported unit and more for product introduction to the public. The vehicle on display is a facelift version of current 3rd generation Tucson as offered overseas. The current generation came in 2015 while facelift as also shown by Hyundai in Pakistan came in international market for model year 2019.
Public was expecting some official details , specifications and pricing but unfortunately it looks like its “TOO SOON “ for “ TU-SON” . Hyundai didn’t reveal anything but did mention that Tucson will be the second CKD model locally produced after the H1 Pickup truck. It looks like Hyundai is still not ready with local assembly of Tucson and that is the reason no official details were announced.
Tucson and Sportage are identical vehicles under the skin. On the exterior they are completely different vehicles and styling, interior, exterior is subjective and personal opinion but they are on exact same platform and the same mechanicals and other components . Both Sportage and Tucson are available with different engine types depending on market. They share same exact AWD system known as HTRAC. As far as size/ dimensions, not much is different between two. Both models are within an inch of each other. We can say Tucson has slightly more room inside comparing Sportage.
Although Nishat didn’t mention officially, but we do know that Tucson will be powered by the same exact 2.0L engine as in sportage with almost identical power output around 157 to 162. Sportage has ground clearance of 172mm and this is what is for Tucson with any weight in both of them. We should expect a FWD and AWD variant same like Sportage. As of safety KIA Sportage is offered with 2 air bags like other car makers in Pakistan although the same models has side/ curtain airbags as standard overseas. We can expect same 2 airbags in Tucson and It would be nice if we get the curtain airbags and I hope Hyundai do. VSC / ABS would be there.
As of features, there are no official details but multiple trims are expected and that will decide features. Panoramic roof will be offered depending upon the variant. The Tucson on auto show display has a slightly different head-unit than what is offered in overseas market. The overseas market Tucson head-unit gets two knob on the either side of display and has slightly different screen size. It looks like the locally assembled Tucson might have incorporated an Android unit developed locally same like we see in Honda and Toyota which has different head-units when we compare with international models. Personally It feels and looks like a cheap integration in Tucson comparing what an overseas market model gets.
It is also possible that Tucson has an option of navigation from factory built in unlike Sportage which does not offer a navigation system although you can pair your phone. Steering wheel controls, cruise control will be offered as we see it on displayed vehicle. Leather seating, climate control, power lift gate will be available again on basis of variant.
So, what was this launch all about? It seems like it was just an introduction to their upcoming model. It was also a marketing exercise as well as seeing what public says about it. I think in next few months , locally produced Tucson will be visible at dealerships for viewing and test drive and at that time official specification and variants will be known more in detail. We can expect this to happen in sometime summer. There had been a lot of questions what would the price and no one knows about it at this time and everyone is predicting while there are certain rumors as well. Internationally depending on market/ Country, Sportage and Tucson are close to each other in Pricing.
We can expect around same pricing as Sportage BUT Hyundai has been always saying that they are premium brand and have premium product which in reality they are NOT. This what they said when they revealed the Santa FE and fear is that we can expect a base Tucson to be around 5 Million while the top variant somewhere in 6 Million range. Again this is just an assumption and my personal opinion.
For now, we need to wait for another few weeks to months before will be able to have any concrete information, details specifications, pricing and booking details.
Finally this Tucson will be replaced in overseas market late this year while the Sportage will go into next generation in 2021.. So, a Pakiatani Tucson will be a discontinued model very quickly and don't expect we will get the next generation right away.
Pakwheels Dedicated discussion thread on Hyundai Tucson here > https://www.pakwheels.com/forums/t/hyundai-tucson-dedicated-discussion-owner-fan-club-thread/1346655
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