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2019 Hyundai Santa Fe production version shown in first photos

Hyundai is continuing to trickle out information about the redesigned 2019 Santa Fe crossover, this time releasing exterior and interior images that give us a good sense of the production version. It'll get its world premiere later this month before making its official bow in Geneva in March. Hyundai had previously released a darkened teaser photograph that showed the profile of the three-row crossover, its largest passenger car, then last week a pair of official renderings that showed a hulking, muscular SUV. The new exterior image shows the Santa Fe from virtually the same angle, and it reveals a few differences from the most recent renderings. For starters, the greenhouse is more generous, not as narrow as in the rendering. The massive wheels have been brought down to a less aggressive size, and the production version isn't quite so bulging down the flanks. But it keeps the Cascading grille, the upright fascia, twin headlights and the prominent crease along the profile just below the windows. The fourth-generation SUV also grows in size, with a length of 187.8 inches, width of 74.4 inches and a longer wheelbase, giving it a wide, athletic stance. Inside, Hyundai says there's more room for passengers, with enhanced visibility and a horizontal layout, with a center touchscreen atop a relatively uncluttered console. The Santa Fe will come equipped with Hyundai's new rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist, which helps warn of approaching vehicles when the driver reverses out of areas with poor visibility and apply the brakes automatically when an oncoming vehicle is detected. It also gets safety exit assist technology, which Hyundai says temporarily locks the doors when it detects vehicles approaching from behind — presumably meaning in those situations where you're about to open your door in a parking space as a car pulls into the spot next to you.Related Video:

Autoblog Podcast #362

Episode #362 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth and Chris Paukert cover the year-end news, including the surprise resignation of Hyundai Motor North America CEO John Krafcik, strong early sales for the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, and 2015 Ford F-150 rumors ahead of its expected Detroit Auto Show debut. Dan also had a chance to look back at 2013 and ahead to 2014 with Autoline's John McElroy. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the new rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #362:
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Hyundai sales slump in China over North Korea, standoff with Chinese partner

BEIJING/SEOUL — Hyundai is at loggerheads with its Chinese partner over efforts to cut supplier costs, as they grapple with cutthroat competition and the impact of a standoff between Beijing and Seoul. Hyundai, along with affiliate Kia, has been caught up in a political row over a missile defense system that is being deployed in South Korea, but opposed by China, as tensions grow over North Korean missile tests and last week's test of a nuclear bomb the North claims can be mounted on a missile. Sales of Hyundai cars in China have been falling, part of a backlash against South Korean brands over the missile system that China views as a threat to its own national security. On Tuesday, South Korea asked the United States to lift a limit on the explosive payloads it can use in the missile system. This as a North Korean missile, believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile, was being tracked by intelligence services being moved on the ground toward North Korea's west coast and a possible launch site. That has come against the backdrop of ever tougher competition from local Chinese automakers. Until last year, Hyundai and Kia ranked third in China by sales. But Hyundai's sales alone have slumped 41 percent from January to July, fraying relations with local partner BAIC Motor Corp and making this the biggest crisis since Hyundai entered the Chinese market in 2002. Last month, Hyundai suspended production at its four China plants for a week after a French supplier refused to provide fuel tanks when its bills went unpaid. On Tuesday, Hyundai suspended production at one of its plants in China after a German firm went unpaid. Hyundai and BAIC — whose Beijing Hyundai joint venture is a 50:50 partnership — are divided over how to solve the issue of suppliers and tougher competition. Hyundai wants to protect its South Korean supply chain, while BAIC favors shifting to cheaper Chinese suppliers to cut costs, the people said. "BAIC wants to solve this aggressively and is ... asking Hyundai to change its sourcing strategy significantly and immediately," said the head of a Hyundai supplier based in Seoul, adding the idea was to source more locally from cheaper suppliers in China. Hyundai wants to solve this more gradually "over perhaps 5-10 years and do so in phases," the person said. BAIC declined to comment.