'We're in a different league': Why Hyundai says its premium push will be very different to Mazda's CX-60, CX-70 and CX-80 rollout

Hyundai says its premium push will look very different to rival Mazda's, declaring itself in a "different league" to the Japanese brand, and assuring its vehicles will still cover the full price spectrum.

In fact, the brand refers to it as not "going premium" but as going "more premium" — with the circa-$120k Hyundai Ioniq 9 scaling new price heights for the brand, but arriving just months after its cheapest-ever EV, the Hyundai Inster.

"I think if we don't start moving up market, I think that's the risk. I think there are a number of manufacturers that are not taking that type of bold step. They're going to regret it in the future," says Hyundai Australia's President and CEO, Don Romano.

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"You have to evolve. And I think this is just part of our evolution. I think there's always going to be someone that's cheaper, that can build a car for less money somewhere.

"And if you look through the rear view mirror, you're going to see them there. I'd prefer to look through the windshield and go forward.

But for Hyundai, a move upmarket doesn't mean abandoning the cheaper vehicles in its stable. Hyundai refers to an adding quality and features, and exploring new pricing — like it's done with the Ioniq 9, which arrives in a single flagship trim level — as a way to differentiate from super-price-competitive Chinese newcomers.

The same could likely be said for the new Santa Fe, with the new model range topping out at $79,129 on the road. The model it replaces was more like $70k on the road in flagship form.

Gradually shifting existing models more upmarket is a markedly different approach to Mazda and its "Mazda Premium" push, which globally drew a line through some of its most popular models, including the CX-9, and launched a new generation of high-end models with bespoke platforms and powertrains.

"We're the third largest car manufacturer in the world. Mazda's in a different league. I mean, they have to try to find their niche to survive," Romano says.

"For us, I think it's a matter of expansion. And that's why we're one of the few companies that offers an ICE, a PHEV, a HEV, a luxury, an entry (model). We're trying to pull it all together.

"That doesn't mean we're trying to become a premium (brand). What we're trying to do is become more premium than we are today, relative especially to the lower end that's being occupied by OEMs in other countries. We're in a different situation."