India-Bound Hyundai Tucson Facelift Diesel Gets Mild-Hybrid Tech

Agencies Updated at: 07 Jun 2018 04:30 PM (IST)

The mild-hybrid setup is available with the 2.0-litre diesel engine which does duty on the pre-facelift Tucson that we get in India

The Hyundai Tucson facelift, which was revealed at the 2018 New York Auto Show in April, is now available as a mild hybrid as well. It gets a 48V mild-hybrid tech with its 2.0-litre diesel in Europe. It is the same engine that powers the pre-facelift Tucson which is currently on sale in India.

The mild-hybrid Tucson’s 186PS 2.0-litre diesel gets a 0.44 kW/h 48-volt lithium-ion battery, a starter generator, an LDC converter (Low Voltage DC/DC) along with an inverter. The starter generator (which generates up to 16PS) assists the engine with additional power and torque under acceleration by discharging the battery. During in-gear deceleration and braking, energy is recovered to recharge the battery. Hyundai claims the mild-hybrid setup has reduced the Tucson’s CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by up to 7 per cent.

The third-gen Hyundai Tucson facelift comes with a refreshed front profile and a completely overhauled interior along with a new 8-speed automatic transmission. Read about it in detail here: India-Bound Hyundai Tucson Facelift Revealed

Will it come to India?

The South Korean automaker should introduce the Tucson mild-hybrid in the Indian market. We expect stricter emission norms in the form of CAFE (corporate average fuel efficiency) to be implemented in India from 2022. It would require automakers to take strict measures to improve fleet efficiency and curb CO2 emissions and mild-hybrid & hybrid setups will allow them to do that. Maruti Suzuki already offers a similar mild-hybrid tech with its select cars such as the Ciaz, S-Cross and the Ertiga. However, it is a less powerful 12V system compared to Hyundai’s.

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Hyundai has announced that this mild-hybrid tech will also be available with the latest gen of its 1.6-litre diesel (U3 CRDI), which is expected to power several future Hyundai and Kia models in India such as the Elantra facelift.