Hyundai Santa Fe to serve as 2026 ASEAN Summit’s official ride

MANILA: Hyundai Motor Philippines (HMPH) will be the official protocol vehicle partner for the 2026 ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in the Philippines.

Based on the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the ASEAN National Organizing Council, the Korean automaker’s local arm will deploy 50 Hyundai Santa Fe units that will be utilized to support operational personnel. 

The event is set to take place in November at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) where delegates from around the world will gather to tackle key issues affecting the region.

Aside from guaranteeing safe, reliable, and comfortable transportation, the agreement is also part of a continuing collaboration that reinforces Hyundai Motor Company’s commitment to supporting national initiatives.

Per HMPH, the vehicles provided under the arrangement are part of the company's in-kind support and will be returned to the local distributor upon completion of the Philippines' hosting of ASEAN 2026. 

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“We are committed to supporting ASEAN’s vision of connectivity, sustainability, and innovation by providing safer, smarter, and more sustainable mobility,” Hyundai Motor Group Senior Vice President of Global Policy Office Dong Jo Kim said in his special message.

“We hope that this official vehicle support will serve as a meaningful step toward a successful future for the Philippines and ASEAN,” he added. 

For his part, HMPH President Jiho Son expressed pride over the trust and confidence that the organizers placed in them.

“It is with great pride that we support the Philippines' hosting of the ASEAN Summit as we strengthen our commitment to advance meaningful mobility,” the top executive noted.

Present during the turnover ceremony were key executives from Hyundai Motor Group (HMG), Hyundai Motor Philippines, and ASEAN NOC. They are:

HMG	HMPH	ASEAN NOC	Republic Korea
Dong Jo Kim (Senior Vice President for Global Policy Office)	Jiho Son (President) Cecil Capacete (Managing Director)	Ma. Hellen Dela Vega (Director-General of the ASEAN NOC) Potenciano Camba (Head of Operations)	Lee Sang-Hwa (Ambassador to the Philippines)

While the model has three trims in the country, the units to be lent out for the summit will only come in the 2.5T Calligraphy and GLS AWD variants.

The top-of-the-line variant is powered by a 2.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine (Smartstream G2.5T), while the mid-grade version is fitted with the naturally aspirated version of the same engine (Smartstream G2.5). Their outputs are as follows:

Variant	2.5T Calligraphy	GLS AWD
Maximum output (in horsepower)	277	191
Peak torque (in Newton-meters)	422	246

While they differ in output, the Hyundai Santa Fe’s two variants both run on an all-wheel-drive configuration.

Among the amenities shared by both variants are:

• 12 cupholders, 4 bottle holders
• Dual-zone air-conditioning system with climate control
• 12.3-inch touchscreen system mated to six speakers
• Wireless charging dock/s

Further, the two Hyundai Santa Fe options both feature a host of safety and driver-assistive technologies that include:

• Adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go function
• Forward collision avoidance assist
• Lane keeping assist
• Blind spot view monitor
• Reverse parking
• Reverse parking collision avoidance assist
• Parking distance warning
• Manual speed limit assist
• Rear occupant alert
• Surround view monitor
• Hill start assist control
• Tire pressure monitoring system 

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