Next-Gen Hyundai Santa Fe Adds Tech

Hyundai Motors Co. is introducing its new rear-occupant alert system and updated cross-traffic warning system on the fourth-generation Santa Fe crossover vehicle.

The 2019 Santa Fe will be unveiled at the Geneva auto show in March before going on sale worldwide later this year. A teaser image released this week suggests the vehicle will feature more aggressive front-end styling—including a split-headlight design—in line with the smaller Kona crossover model that debuted last year in Europe.

Announced last autumn, Hyundai’s rear-occupant alert is designed to help prevent drivers from inadvertently leaving children alone in a vehicle. If movement in the rear seats is detected after the driver exits the vehicle, the system will honk the horn, flash the lights and send an alert to the driver's smartphone.

The Santa Fe’s Smart Sense technology package also adds automatic emergency braking to the vehicle’s rear cross-traffic collision warning system. The combination alerts the driver of approaching objects from the side when a vehicle is reversing, and automatically applies the brakes as necessary to prevent a collision.