Hyundai Veracruz Busts Out

Motoring Channel Staff - 12/Oct/2006

Seoul, South Korea — Terracan, Santa Fe, Tucson, and now Veracruz. Just before its official unveiling in its domestic market of Southern Korea, images and info of the latest Hyundai 4x4, named the Veracruz, have been leaked. 

Opinion has been divided around the Motoring Channel office about whether the new design is nice or nasty, but it at least stays within Hyundai's design rules, with a combination of the Terracan and Santa Fe in the headlights, while a new look grilled section and large lower air dam may have been inspired by Honda designs.

The new SUV will be powered by one of the Korean marque's most powerful bent 6-cylinder engines and will offer seating for seven occupants.

The new vehicle is an ambitious design, and like the Santa Fe aims to build the Asian car maker's reputation in the people-moving and SUV segments. The new model will rival vehicles such as Nissan Murano, Subaru B9 Tribeca and the Lexus RX350, as it's similar in size, equipment, and is powered by a strong 3.8-litre V6 engine that will generate more than 190kW of power.

The smooth lines of the new model highlight how much Hyundai is progressing in terms of vehicle design, and following on from the Santa Fe (reviewed here) this new model is aiming even higher, with standard features to include:

• 4WD Transmission

• Multiple Airbags for front, middle and rear row passengers

• ESC - Electronic Stability Control

It will also benefit from a range of interior comfort features, such as climate control and more besides. No word on transmission types, but 5-speed automatics would be the most likely candidates.

The new crossover utility vehicle (CUV) will be first sold in South Korea, and the North American market will be next. It is expected that the new Veracruz will make its to Australia in 2007, and exports to Europe will also be on the cards.

In completely unrelated news, DaimlerChrysler has announced that it will spend $US560 million ($754 million) developing a new transmission system for its vehicles. Similar in concept to Volkswagen's Dual Shift Gearbox (DSG), DaimlerChrysler will invest more than half a billion dollars in a new assembly plant in Indiana, USA, to make its next generation gearbox. Reports from the United States indicate that production for the new gearbox will be ready in 2009. 

Like VW's DSG product, the new DaimlerChrysler gearbox will feature twin gearshafts with 1st, 3rd, 5th gears on one, and 2nd, 4th, 6th gears on the other, allowing for almost-instantaneous shifts. This is because when third gear is engaged, for example, the other gearshaft is ready to shift into 2nd or 4th at the the pull of a lever, or the touch of a button. The benefits of such gearboxes are as follows:

• Improved fuel economy

• Ease of use

• Better performance

• Quicker shifts

Launch control may also be added when the new system launches just before the turn of the decade.

By 2009 when the new gearbox begins to be offered in some vehicles, Volkswagen will have developed its DSG to much higher levels. A case of too little too late? However, DaimlerChrysler has enlisted transmission specialists Getrag to help design and develop the new gearbox, which should result in an intelligent and rapid-shifting transmission.