Groundbreaking family SUV spotted: New Hyundai Santa Fe plug-in hybrid spied in the wild just before its arrival - but there's a catch to the Kia Sorento and Mistubishi Outlander PHEV rival!

Hyundai’s new plug-in hybrid Santa Fe is close to making its global debut with a prototype being caught testing ahead of its arrival this year.

The spy shots which were obtained by the sleuths at Korean YouTube channel Healer TV show the Santa Fe in a public Korean parking lot, the ‘plug-in’ badge clearly displayed on the SUV’s tailgate. 

An uncamouflaged prototype in public like this typically means the vehicle is about to be revealed officially. It’s no secret Hyundai is launching this new variant of the popular seven-seat large SUV with CarsGuide reporting back in October, 2024 that it was in final development.

The United States and Europe already have a Santa Fe plug-in but its electric driving range of 55km is nothing compared to the new second-generation plug-in coming which promises at least 100km of EV range. According to inside sources the new hybrid system uses a high-density battery pack and two motors which were developed by Hyundai. The resulting performance and fuel efficiency is being touted as ground-breaking.

When will we see the Santa Fe plug-in hybrid here in Australia? Well, there's a catch. When we asked Hyundai back in October last year we were told, not at the moment but that could change.

Parents would be very familiar with rolling out that line. Well, to be precise the company said, "There are no current plans to introduce PHEV variants locally. PHEV is not ruled out for Australia, just not part of our current model strategy.”

Since then, the landscape has changed - even in four months. Hyundai recently launched a petrol variant of the Santa Fe in Australia to sell alongside the existing regular hybrid version. A plug-in hybrid could still make it here, but only if Hyundai thinks there’s a need or demand great enough for the variant.

Part of the catch is that plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) sales aren’t huge in Australia. Last year only 23,163  PHEVs were sold compared to 171,870 regular 'plug-less' hybrids.

Having to charge a plug-in hybrid using an external cable as you do with an EV can also pose a challenge in Australia with its lack of charging infrastructure.

We did, however, ask Hyundai Australia again if it had changed its mind and that plug-in would indeed be coming but we’ve yet to hear back.

The current Australian Santa Fe line-up is now made up of a 2.5-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol variant and the 1.6-litre petrol-electric hybrid. Prices start at $53,000 for the entry-grade Santa Fe with the petrol engine and reach up to $75,00 for the top of the range Calligraphy hybrid.