New Santa Fe aims to be best-seller

Hyundai Motor Co., Korea’s No. 1 carmaker, has launched the third-generation Santa Fe in the local market.

During an unveiling event in Incheon on Thursday, the company said it aims to sell 42,000 units of the New Santa Fe at home and 110,000 units in the overseas market this year.

The automaker has also set the sales target of 385,000 units for next year ― 50,000 for domestic and 335,000 for overseas consumers.

“The Santa Fe holds significant meaning for the local sport utility vehicle market and Hyundai Motor,” company president Kim Choong-ho said.

He said the new model features remarkable fuel-efficiency and high-end technologies.

The all-new 2013 Santa Fe is designed for drivers and passengers with high expectations for functionality and comfort, Hyundai said in a statement.

There are two models for the third-generation Santa Fe ― the two-row, five-passenger “Santa Fe Sport” and the long wheelbase three-row, seven-seater “Santa Fe.”

A company spokesman said the new Santa Fe showcases the brand’s cutting-edge capabilities through “fluidic sculpture” design and impressive fuel economy.

Over the past decade, Hyundai Motor’s Santa Fe models have led Korea’s sport utility vehicle market with the carmaker’s Veracruz and Tucson series.

Hyundai Motor revealed the third-generation Santa Fe for the first time during the 2012 New York International Auto Show earlier this month.

By Kim Yon-se (kys@heraldcorp.com)