Hyundai Motor unveiled its fourth generation Santa Fe midsize sport utility vehicle armed with a slew of human-centered technology features with an aim to bolster its SUV portfolio and boost sales in the US.

“Made on human-centered philosophy, we meticulously considered customers’ requests. Going beyond its role as transportation, we believe the new Santa Fe is a life companion,” said Hyo-lin Kim, director of Hyundai Motor’s User Experience Planning Group, during the media preview held at Hyundai Motor Studio in central Seoul.

The new five-seater Santa Fe is the first upgrade in six years.

In terms of exterior design, Santa Fe carries the carmaker’s SUV design identity applied to Kona compact SUV and Nexo fuel cell electric vehicle, along with a sophisticated masculine character line.

Calm-tech has been applied to the family SUV, equipped the industry’s first-ever Safe Exit Assist, Rear Occupant Alert Monitor and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, the company said.

Calm-tech refers to human-centered technology and human machine interface that ensures maximum safety using sensors and computers, while catering to emotional needs and convenience of those on board.

Pre-sales of the new model will begin on Feb. 7 here, while it is slated for release in the US this summer, the company said.

Hyundai did not share the price of the new Santa Fe.

“As one of Hyundai’s bestselling models in the US, the new Santa Fe could serve as an opportunity for Hyundai to recover global sales,” said Lim Eun-young, an analyst of Samsung Securities.

Out of 685,555 units Hyundai sold in the US last year, Santa Fe accounted for 133,171 units, the company said.

By introducing new SUV models, Hyundai will aim to sell 716,000 units there this year, up 4.5 percent from last year’s performance.

The Safe Exit Assist system, which Hyundai had developed for the first time among carmakers, warns the driver when it senses a car approaching from the back and automatically locks the rear door.

According to Hyundai, the automated child lock will contribute to preventing youth accidents, which affects some 300,000 children annually.

The Rear Occupant Alert Monitor makes voice warnings that there is a passenger on the rear seat when the driver opens the door after turning off the engine, the company said.

If the driver takes off and locks the car without noticing the initial voice warning, the horn goes off, emergency lights are turned on and a text message is sent to notify the driver. 

By Kim Bo-gyung (lisakim425@heraldcorp.com)