New Hyundai Tucson to rival Mahindra XUV500, Toyota Innova and Tata Hexa

New generation Hyundai Tucson will be launched in India ahead of Diwali season.Showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo earlier this year, new generation Hyundai Tucson has been spied once again while on test. To be launched just ahead of the Diwali festive season, new Tucson will take on the likes of Mahindra XUV500, Toyota Innova and upcoming Tata Hexa.

First launched in 2004, Hyundai Tucson is now in its third generation. In India, Tucson nameplate arrived in 2005. But due to low sales, was discontinued in 2010. Second gen Tucson was not launched in India.

With the launch of third generation, Hyundai India is hoping that Tucson will receive a better response than ever before. And they are not wrong. Compared to 2004, not only Hyundai’s image in the minds of car buyers has improved, but also the buying capacity of consumers has grown across segment.

In India, new generation Hyundai Tucson will sit below the company’s flagship Santa Fe. Engine option on board the Tucson is likely to be company’s 2.0L CRDi diesel engine which is rated at 136 PS and 184 PS depending on the tune. Transmission options could be either a 6 speed manual or a 6 speed automatic gearbox.

New Tucson stands 4475 mm long, 1850 mm wide, 1645 mm tall, with a 2670 mm wheelbase. Highlight of the new Tucson includes black interiors, leather upholstery, touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, reverse parking camera, 17 inch machined alloys, projector headlamps with LED DRLs, panoramic sunroof, six airbags, keyless entry, start/stop button, etc.

To be sold as a CKD unit, expect price of Hyundai Tucson to be in the range of INR 15-20 lakh.

This article has first appeared in Rushlane.com