Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) is mounting a full-scale push into the U.S. market with its new Tucson, the automaker's flagship global best-seller.
NEW YORK — The world premiere of the fifth-generation, fully redesigned "The All-New Tucson" takes place in New York on the 1st, according to industry sources. After unveiling the model's key features in South Korea last month, Hyundai plans to expand into overseas markets and highlight the vehicle's competitiveness as a global compact SUV.
The new Tucson is the first full redesign in about six years since the fourth generation launched in 2020. It features a boxy SUV design reflecting Hyundai's "Art of Steel" design philosophy, along with an expanded interior and the latest connectivity specifications. Following its South Korean debut, the model will roll out sequentially in major markets including North America and Europe starting next year.
Hyundai chose the Tucson for its New York world premiere because the model drives the company's sales momentum in the United States. According to Hyundai, the Tucson has sold 10,616,102 units globally since the first generation launched in 2004 through August of this year, excluding the China-only model (ix35). The Tucson is the third Hyundai Motor Group vehicle to surpass 10 million in cumulative global sales, after the Avante (sold overseas as the Elantra) and the Accent. It is the first domestic SUV to do so.
Nine of Every 10 Sold Overseas
The Tucson is a flagship global strategic model, with more than 90% of sales coming from overseas. Of cumulative sales excluding China, domestic sales totaled 953,029 units, or 9.0%, while overseas sales accounted for 91.0%. Including China, the overseas share reaches 91.4%.
The U.S. market is especially dominant. Since entering the United States in 2004, the Tucson has sold 2,227,000 units there, including 1,953,000 internal combustion models and 274,000 hybrids. That represents 19.9% of total cumulative sales, meaning one in every five Tucsons is sold in the United States.
The hybrid share has also expanded rapidly in the United States. After hybrids were first introduced in the fourth generation in 2021, their share rose from 12.3% that year to 32.5% in 2024, then stood at 31.0% last year and 27.8% in the January-August period this year.
"Over the past 22 years, the Tucson has evolved from an export model into a global strategic model based on local production," a Hyundai official said. "Beyond becoming the first domestic SUV to reach 10 million in cumulative global sales, it will establish itself as a global best-selling car."
