Updated car is coming, but local rep won’t discuss until launch.

THE next recipient of technology that achieves high profile in the latest Hyundai Kona won’t be talked about until it’s set for New Zealand sale, some time next year.

That the Tucson medium sports utility will, as part of a mid-life refresh, deliver with improvements including an interior taking inspiration from that in Seoul’s latest Ioniq electric cars was revealed this week.

The news broke while Hyundai NZ was hosting media for a first drive of the latest Kona, in which the same approach has implemented.

The Auckland-based distributor did not share the news during its event, though it has since confirmed that the facelift Tucson will be here in 2024, when three electric cars are also coming - Ioniq 5 N, Iomiq 7 and a mystery third model.

Hyundai NZ does best with its sports utilities and, to date this year, Tucson has run as its second-strongest seller, behind the larger Santa Fe and ahead of Kona.

The current Tucson offers in 14 derivatives and matches Kona in offering a choice of 2.0-litre non-turbo petrol, a 1.6-litre turbo petrol, a mild 1.6-litre petrol hybrid - but in different states of tune - and also comes with a 100kW/300Nm 2.0-litre turbodiesel and has sold with a 1.6-litre petrol plug-in hybrid.

Kona, meantime, headlines with the 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine with an electric motor, which it debuted in the outgoing type last year, with 104kW and 265Nm and its provision has grown, from two variants before to four now.

Questions about when the update Tucson will launch, how important the hybrid could be going forward and if it might bump the turbodiesel into retirement were put to national group marketing manager Emma Guadagni.

She was unwilling to share, commenting simply that “our focus is on the new Kona and we will comment on series 2 Tucson at the time of its launch.”

The alterations for Tucson in its fourth year of production deliver a revised front fascia with a bolder grille and tweaked bumper, as well as new wheel designs.

The interior achieves the same changes meted Kona, the biggest one being that it also takes dual 12.3-inch screens for infotainment and instruments - a signature of the Ioniqs.

At present, only high-end Tucsons have digital screens, and they are smaller, being 10.25-inch displays and don’t locate side-by-side in one panel, as will occur in the facelift and in Kona.

Overseas’ reports say the all-touch-sensitive climate-control panel in top-of-the-range Tucsons has been replaced by a new unit with touch buttons for certain functions, but traditional dials for controlling air-conditioning temperature.

Other changes include a revised centre console, and a new steering wheel – with four dots in its centre, which is Morse code for H, referencing the Hyundai logo.