India’s second largest car maker Hyundai Motors India is planning to launch its premium sports  utility vehicle (SUV) Santa Fe by October 2010 ahead of festive season in India.

Santa Fe is a mid-size 7 seater crossover SUV based on Hyundai Sonata platform was introduced in the international market in 2010.

Initially Hyundai is planning to import Santa Fe as completely built units and if volume picks up Hyundai will assemble it locally.

Even though Hyundai launched Terracan and Tuscon SUV models in India but failed to impress Indian customers. In India Hyundai is a leading manufacturer in the hatchback segment with products like i10, i20, Santro but failed to manage the same momentum in the luxury car segment as its luxury cars like Sonata, Elantra were not performed well in Indian market.

Hyundai Santa Fe Price : The 2.2-litre diesel engine Santa Fe with seven seater is expected to come with a price tag of 22-24 lakh.

The new Hyundai Santa Fe is going to compete with Honda CR-V, Chevrolet Captiva, Ford Endeavour, Nissan X Trail, Mitsubishi Outlander, Mahindra Scorpio, Tata Safari, Maruti Grand Vitara and Mahindra Bolero etc

The Hyundai Fe engine is expected to be 4 cylinders with DOHC (Double Over Head Camshafts) 2199cc, CRDI (Common Rail Direct Injection) fuel supply system.

Hyundai has not revealed the exact details about Santa Fe Indian version. In US market Santa Fe comes in three variants GLS, SE and Limited.

GLS model is a 4 cylinder DOHC 16-valve, 2.4 litre, 175@6000hp and 169@3750 torque.

SE : V6, 3.5 litre DOHC 24-valve, 276@6300 hp, 248@5000 torque

Limited : 4-cylinder / V6 DOHC 16 or 24-valve, 2.4 / 3.5 litre, 175@6000 / 276@6300 hp , 169@3750 / 248@5000 torque