Hyundai updates for 2023: Kauai, Santa Fe, IONIQ 5 N and IONIQ 6

Gareth J. Hargreaves • August 28, 2026 20:45

This piece is part of the Special New Releases 2023. More than 100 launches to explore, with support from Millennium bcp.

Hyundai has several-and significant-new arrivals pencilled in for 2023, starting with the debut of the second generation of the Kauai SUV.

As before, the Kauai will continue to be offered with powertrains to suit (almost) everyone: electric, hybrid and petrol.

For now, this line-up has only been confirmed for the South Korean market, but the European range of the SUV is unlikely to change dramatically.

With that in mind, we can expect a fully electric version, a hybrid (everything points to a 1.6 GDi engine paired with an electric motor, delivering 141 hp combined), and two purely combustion options: one with a 1.6 T-GDi producing 198 hp and another with a naturally aspirated 2.0-litre unit making 149 hp.

Only this last version-the 2.0-litre engine running on the more efficient Atkinson cycle-should not make the "trip" to the "Old Continent".

Santa Fe: revolution on the way

Another of the South Korean brand’s 2023 highlights is the next-generation Santa Fe, which has already been spotted out testing.

The prototypes seen so far have been "dressed" in heavy camouflage, yet it is already clear that the new Santa Fe will adopt squarer lines, taking inspiration from the Seven concept shown at the 2021 Los Angeles Motor Show.

Despite the major visual shift this SUV is set to undergo, the engine line-up is not expected to change much, meaning it should continue with petrol and diesel mild-hybrid options, alongside plug-in hybrid variants.

The new Hyundai Santa Fe generation will be unveiled during this year, but it will only reach the market in 2024.

The IONIQ family keeps growing

After the IONIQ 5, Hyundai is preparing to bring two new all-electric offerings during 2023: the IONIQ 5 N and the IONIQ 6.

The first, as the name implies, is the more "spiced-up" take on the IONIQ 5 we already know; the second is a saloon that promises to stand up to rivals such as the Tesla Model 3.

Starting with the IONIQ 5 N, it is shaping up to become the most powerful road-going Hyundai ever. To achieve that, it should use the same electric "hardware" found in Kia’s EV6 GT-whose "cousin" Diogo Teixeira has already sent sideways…

If confirmed, the IONIQ 5 N should feature two electric motors-one on each axle-delivering 430 kW (585 hp) and 740 Nm, powered by a 77.4 kWh battery.

Hyundai has not yet announced an exact date for its launch, but the latest rumours suggest a global reveal in mid-2023.

Hyundai IONIQ 6 nearly here

Meanwhile, the IONIQ 6 has already been revealed and production even began at the end of 2022, but its commercial launch in the UK is still to come.

With styling that leaves no-one indifferent, the IONIQ 6 uses the same E-GMP platform as the IONIQ 5 and positions itself as a highly efficient electric car, claiming an average energy consumption of just 14 kWh/100 km (WLTP).

Offered with two different batteries-one rated at 53 kWh and the other at 77.4 kWh-the IONIQ 6 can be had with one or two electric motors, with maximum power of 325 hp and a driving range of up to 610 km.