2019 Hyundai Santa Fe goes into production at Montgomery plant

MANILA: Hyundai officially announced that production of the brand new 2019 Santa Fe has started at its Montgomery plant in Alabama. The Korean automaker revealed its plan to produce 84,000 Santa Fe crossovers this year from Alabama as 3,000 team members enthusiastically attended the ceremony and parade at the Montgomery plant.

Replacing the old Santa Fe Sport, the 2019 Santa Fe is completely redesigned and will be offered in two versions- the Santa Fe and the Santa Fe XL. The Santa Fe XL is the larger one with three rows of seating which can accommodate seven passengers. Speaking on the occasion, Dong Ryeol Choi, president and CEO, HMMA said: “We’re thrilled about the design and technological features of this generation Santa Fe”.

The 2019 Santa Fe comes with three engine choices. First one is a standard 2.4-litre, I-4 engine that pumps out 185 hp of power and 241 Nm of torque, while a 2.0-litre, turbo-four option is also available that churns out an estimated power of 235 hp and 353 Nm of torque. The third one is a 2.2-litre, turbodiesel engine that produces an estimated power of 190 hp and peak torque of 437 Nm. This one will also offer an occasional-use third-row seat. All three engines will are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

According to Hyundai, safety is one of the best features of the new Santa Fe. The 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe comes standard with the automaker’s Smart Sense driver assistance features which include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane keeping assist, high beam assist, blind spot warning, driver attention warning, adaptive cruise control and rear cross-traffic alert.

Additionally, there’s a rear automatic emergency braking system and Safe Exit Assist, which prohibits a rear door from opening in case a vehicle is detected approaching from behind.

There’s no confirmation as on when the 2019 Santa Fe will reach the dealers in the Philippines and neither did the company announced the price of its latest crossover.