The 2019 Santa Fe created quite a furor when it was announced for the U.S. market. The reason behind it being that it was going to be the South Korean’s first model to feature a diesel engine. However, the automaker has now said that the Sante Fe diesel won’t be coming to the States after all.

Why the Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel Won't Come to America

But things have changed drastically, and the company has decided to scrap the whole idea altogether. Speaking with Green Car Report, Hyundai’s spokesperson, Brandon Ramirez, said that Hyundai canceled the power plant as studies indicated a buyers’ reluctance to have a turbo diesel engine in a crossover. Moreover, the low gasoline prices and the shift towards electrification did not help the diesel-powered Santa Fe’s cause either.

The Initial Plan

Now that we can connect the dots, this was bound to happen. It’s not just the diesel engine that has been disbursed from the line-up as Ramirez confirmed that even the seven-seater Santa Fe won’t be coming. The three-row Santa Fe was planned to be offered exclusively with the diesel engine.

There Is A Substitute Available

In fact, Hyundai had even planned to replace the current Santa Fe XL with the Palisade in 2020. But now that the diesel mill is out of contention, we could see Hyundai work towards offering the Santa Fe with a plug-in hybrid unit in the near future. This is more or less the case with most of the automakers today. Currently, the only crop of automakers that offers diesel SUVs in the U.S. includes GMC, Chevrolet, Land Rover, and Jeep.

Do you think this was a wise move by Hyundai? Or should the automaker have taken a risk with the diesel Santa Fe? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Further Reading

Read our full review on the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe.