Kia News

Hyundai appears to have listened to feedback and tweaked the design of its polarising Santa Fe seven-seat SUV, according to new spy footage of the yet-to-be-revealed update.The news comes via the Korean Car Blog website and the Woopa TV YouTuber who recorded footage of the upcoming Santa Fe testing and parked. While the new Santa Fe shown here is wrapped in padding to camouflage the new design, the small open areas that allow headlights and tail-lights to shine through reveal some big differences.The biggest news seems to be that the controversial horizontal low-sitting tail-lights have been redesigned to be vertically orientated, skirting the edges of the vehicle's tailgate running upwards.At the front it also appears the headlights and daytime running lights have also been restyled. Gone are the H-shaped LED DRLs and in their place appears to be horizontal and vertical strips similar to what's seen on Kia models such as the EV9. The headlights are now rectangular and sit lower, just above the top of the bumper.For now those are the main expected changes we can see to the updated Hyundai Santa Fe.The fifth-generation Santa Fe arrived in Australia in early 2024 and caused controversy with a completely new look that was more boxy, angular and upright then any previous model. Despite the divided views the Santa Fe has sold well in Australia with year-to-date sales (until the end of October) of 5370. That said, the seven-seat Hyundai is still lagging behind Kia's ageing Sorento which recorded 7588 in the same period.CarsGuide has reached out to Hyundai Australia to confirm local timing for the update.When the updated Santa Fe does arrive it will likely retain the current powerplants, including a 2.5-litre turbo-petrol variant and a hybrid version which combines a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine with an electric motor. Both variants are offered with front and all-wheel drive.A new plug-in hybrid, which is currently available in other markets, may also be added to the Australian line-up when the updated Santa Fe arrives.

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Kia might be preparing a fresh face for its Tasman workhorse ute.Debate about the Tasman’s styling has followed it around like a bad smell since the day it was revealed. That might be all about to change.Kia recently revealed a military-grade Tasman as part of its display at the International Aerospace & Defence Exhibition in Seoul.The show cars were the usual military fare, but Kia’s Special Vehicle division showcased several suggested uses for the military-grade Tasman on its website.The hard to access website - we had to go incognito mode to get it to load — looks just like any Kia retail page but has heavy duty Tasmans.A few images jumped out, with a 'Military Command Vehicle' and a 'Military Version Pick-up truck' showing a substantially different look to the current Tasman.These images are clearly computer generated, but so are the rest of the images on this official Kia website that all depict the current shaped Tasman.This might be a long bow, but it is also odd they would publish these images that look so obviously different.The digital renders show a new headlight design, completely new fender flares front and back and an altered grille, bonnet and front bumper.The result is tough and — dare I say — handsome ute. Kia has not confirmed to CarsGuide if these images are real or not.Kia’s global VP of Next Interior Design, Jochen Paesen, previously said people will get used to the design, which was intended to stand out from the outset.“This is really, really important for Kia, we want to make sure that we have a clear identity. It does stand out. We are new to the market. It needs to be noticed. And generally, and this is generally for design, if you want to be progressive, if you want to stand out, if you want to do something new, you will go through a process of getting people used to it,” he said.The proof is in the sales figures.Despite receiving critical acclaim for how the car actually performs on and off the road, sales of the Tasman haven’t moved the needle.Kia is currently moving about 800 Tasmans a month, which is about half of what it needs to hit its lofty targets.A new look could catapult way up the charts.

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