Hyundai plans to expand XRT off-road range in Australia

Hyundai hopes to replicate the success of its performance-focused N division by expanding its adventure-inspired XRT and XRT Pro ranges in Australia.

"We're looking to expand our range across both XRT Pro and XRT variants," Hyundai Australia's general manager of product planning Jonathan Lam told Australian media, including CarExpert, in Sydney.

"Take a look at what’s currently available globally, that could at least give you a guide as to what’s coming in the future."

Hyundai Australia’s enthusiasm for XRT stems in part from the success it has already enjoyed locally with N and N Line models.

"If we take a look at what we’ve achieved with N and N Line in Australia, where we’ve got one of the highest take rates globally, that kind of reflects what the Australian market in general is like," explained Mr Lam.

"We like high-performance cars, we like fun cars, we like exciting cars. So what we’re looking to do with XRT as a brand is replicate some of N Line’s success, but with an off-road spin."

The local product planning team also sees the rollout of N and N Line as a template for how XRT and XRT Pro could grow in Australia.

“When we launched N and N Line, we started off with i30 N in 2018 and then started rolling out N Line across the rest of the range. We expanded the N range to Kona N and other models as well," said Mr Lam.

“Whilst I can’t confirm what’s coming, we’re looking to do something similar with XRT.

“Taking a look at large SUVs, XRT Pro makes sense. For a medium or a small SUV, we might take a closer look and see what would make sense for our market. That will require a bit more research."

The XRT moniker debuted for the 2022 model year, attached to rugged appearance packages for the Santa Fe and Tucson SUVs in the US – effectively an off-road equivalent to N Line.

Tougher-looking versions of the Palisade large SUV, Santa Cruz ute and Ioniq 5 electric SUV followed, before Hyundai began adding genuine off-road capability with the 2024 Santa Fe XRT.

Australia received some of those upgrades in the form of two optional accessory packs offered through dealers for all-wheel drive Santa Fe variants.

Hyundai then took the concept a step further last year with the launch of XRT Pro, a more serious sub-brand focused on factory-developed variants with genuine off-road upgrades – effectively the rugged equivalent of N.

The Palisade is the first model to gain an XRT Pro variant both internationally and in Australia, bringing a one-inch suspension lift, all-terrain tyres and an electronic limited-slip differential, among other changes.

XRT Pro versions of other Hyundai SUVs are expected to follow, while the availability of XRT appearance packages is also set to expand.

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