Photo: Hyundai
Codenamed MX5, the fifth-generation Santa Fe will become available to order for the 2024 model year. Production is expected to start by the end of 2023 at the Montgomery assembly plant in Alabama, which is getting no fewer than $190 million to prepare for the all-new Santa Fe.
The South Korean automaker has further committed $100 million for the Tucson and Santa Cruz, bringing the grand total to $290 million. Officially dubbed Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, the Montgomery assembly plant was completed in June 2004. Series production started in May 2005 with the Sonata sedan.
The Santa Fe followed suit for the 2007 model year, whereas the Tucson and Santa Cruz started production at HMMA for the 2022 model year. Hyundai's first – and only US manufacturing plant thus far – employs approximately 4,000 people at the moment of reporting.
The facility wouldn't churn a single car without the help of more than 70 suppliers located throughout North America. Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama further boasts engine shops for four-cylinder engines ranging from the G2.0 Atkinson of the Sonata Hybrid to the G2.5 T-GDI of the 2024 Santa Fe.
Over in the United States of America, the Santa Fe will be offered in a grand total of 11 exterior colors. The pre-production vehicle in the featured photo dons Phantom Black. The color palette also includes Rockwood Green Pearl, Atlantis Blue Pearl, Terracotta Orange, Hampton Gray, Earthy Brass Metallic Matte, Ultimate Red Metallic, Ecotronic Gray Pearl, Ecotronic Gray Matte, Serenity White Pearl, and Curated Silver Metallic.
Black Ink, Obsidian Black, Supersonic Gray, Pecan Brown, and Forest Green are the interior colors that Hyundai confirmed for this part of the world. Scheduled to go on sale in the first half of 2024, the redesigned Santa Fe will be initially available with two powertrain choices: the aforementioned 2.5-liter turbo and a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-pot mill with hybrid assistance.
The 2.5 is a member of the Theta III engine family. Joined by a dual-clutch transmission rather than a torque-converter automatic, said engine produces 281 ps (make that 277 horsepower) and 43.0 kgf·m (311 pound-feet or 422 Nm). As for the 1.6er, in combination with the hybrid motor, the numbers are 180 ps (178 horsepower) and 27.0 kgf·m (195 pound-feet or 265 Nm of twist).
Despite preparing $190 million for the all-new Santa Fe's production in Alabama, the South Korean automaker might have a bit of trouble selling this fellow. We all know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Even though yours truly considers the Santa Fe to be a looker, many car enthusiasts I follow aren't exactly impressed by Hyundai's rather obvious impersonation of the Land Rover Defender.
The naysayers, however, may be proven wrong. Remember how much criticism BMW got for the snouty radiator grille that subsequently carried over to most of the automaker's lineup? Those vehicles are selling like hot cakes, and demand for aesthetically-challenged Bimmers appears to be on the rise in the US.
The Santa Fe followed suit for the 2007 model year, whereas the Tucson and Santa Cruz started production at HMMA for the 2022 model year. Hyundai's first – and only US manufacturing plant thus far – employs approximately 4,000 people at the moment of reporting.
The facility wouldn't churn a single car without the help of more than 70 suppliers located throughout North America. Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama further boasts engine shops for four-cylinder engines ranging from the G2.0 Atkinson of the Sonata Hybrid to the G2.5 T-GDI of the 2024 Santa Fe.
Over in the United States of America, the Santa Fe will be offered in a grand total of 11 exterior colors. The pre-production vehicle in the featured photo dons Phantom Black. The color palette also includes Rockwood Green Pearl, Atlantis Blue Pearl, Terracotta Orange, Hampton Gray, Earthy Brass Metallic Matte, Ultimate Red Metallic, Ecotronic Gray Pearl, Ecotronic Gray Matte, Serenity White Pearl, and Curated Silver Metallic.
Black Ink, Obsidian Black, Supersonic Gray, Pecan Brown, and Forest Green are the interior colors that Hyundai confirmed for this part of the world. Scheduled to go on sale in the first half of 2024, the redesigned Santa Fe will be initially available with two powertrain choices: the aforementioned 2.5-liter turbo and a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-pot mill with hybrid assistance.
The 2.5 is a member of the Theta III engine family. Joined by a dual-clutch transmission rather than a torque-converter automatic, said engine produces 281 ps (make that 277 horsepower) and 43.0 kgf·m (311 pound-feet or 422 Nm). As for the 1.6er, in combination with the hybrid motor, the numbers are 180 ps (178 horsepower) and 27.0 kgf·m (195 pound-feet or 265 Nm of twist).
Despite preparing $190 million for the all-new Santa Fe's production in Alabama, the South Korean automaker might have a bit of trouble selling this fellow. We all know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Even though yours truly considers the Santa Fe to be a looker, many car enthusiasts I follow aren't exactly impressed by Hyundai's rather obvious impersonation of the Land Rover Defender.
The naysayers, however, may be proven wrong. Remember how much criticism BMW got for the snouty radiator grille that subsequently carried over to most of the automaker's lineup? Those vehicles are selling like hot cakes, and demand for aesthetically-challenged Bimmers appears to be on the rise in the US.
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