Hyundai Motor Group is keeping the pedal to the metal with 58 new models and trims coming to market by 2030. Among these refreshed models is the updated 2028 Hyundai Santa Fe midsize SUV. Hyundai President and CEO, Jose Munoz, and the company’s executive team outlined the news and details during the annual CEO Investor Day meeting in Seoul, South Korea this week. The company’s high-level presentation has 101 slides, so there is a lot of information to go over.
2028 Hyundai Santa Fe
Let’s start with the 2028 Hyundai Santa Fe. It’s no secret that this popular SUV is getting a styling update. We have followed camouflaged new Santa Fe prototypes for some time now. Hyundai announces that a new EREV range-extender powertrain is coming to the Santa Fe. This new powertrain uses two electric motors that should propel the new SUV with effortless electric power. When the relatively small high-voltage battery gets low on charge, an internal combustion engine comes online to extend its range. Hyundai says the Santa FE EREV will be capable of over 600 miles of driving range. We think Hyundai will use a 1.6-liter combustion engine as the range extender.
The new 2028 Santa Fe is slated to begin production in Alabama soon. It is planned to go on sale in the first half of 2027. Will it be the first and only EREV on sale in the United States in the first part of next year? We will have to wait and see what Stellantis does with their Jeep Grand Wagoneer EREV and the Ram 1500 REV. These are supposed to go on sale sometime in 2027 as well.
New Battery Tech
This new Santa Fe EREV system will use Hyundai’s latest high-voltage battery. Hyundai’s new battery chemistry and design promises more energy density, fast charging times, increased longevity, and a relative low cost. We still don’t know many details about this new battery design, but we are intrigued.
2027 Hyundai Tucson
As you can see at the top of this story, the updated new 2027 Tucson has already been revealed in Korea. This popular compact crossover is also coming to the United States. Hyundai is looking to lean into hybrids. This starts with the updated new Tucson. Expect the new Tucson to several at least two powertrain choices. We hope to get more information on this soon.
Hyundai Body-on-Frame
Hyundai is entering the world of body-on-frame SUVs and pickup trucks for the North American market and the U.S. We know this because the company showed us their Boulder SUV concept vehicle at the 2026 NY Auto Show. Hyundai says that several body-on-frame vehicles are coming to market. This is the only way to make financial sense when designing a new vehicle platform. The Boulder concept is aimed squarely at the Ford Bronco and the Jeep Gladiator as a focused off-roader. Will their midsize pickup truck be something similar? We hope so.
Hyundai says we should stay tuned for more news on this subject during the 2027 NY Auto Show next April.
Large Commercial Van?
But wait, there is more. Hyundai announced a partnership with General Motors to bring a large commercial van lineup to the United States with production starting in 2028. We don’t have much details about this partnership yet. We think that Hyundai could use this opportunity to bring the Staria van to the U.S. This is more of a midsize van.
They could bring their latest H350 van lineup to the United States. However, this is a highly competitive market in the U.S. with the Ford Transit, the Ram ProMaster, and the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter among others.
We haven’t even begun to discuss the Hyundai Motor Group’s plans to expand their luxurious Genesis brand with more vehicles and more powertrains. The company also wants to expand their Hyundai N-line and Hyundai N high-performance vehicle lineup. Stay tuned for more news on this front as well.
Here is an in-depth look at the Hyundai Boulder concept SUV. It’s named Boulder after Boulder, Colorado. This is the home of our TFLstudios HQ. We had nothing to do with the name of the concept, but it’s still cool.
