The new model, which replaces the ix35, builds on the brand’s success of one million SUV sales in Europe and is said to mark a significant step forwards.

“Hyundai Motor has high aspirations for the brand in Europe. The All-New Tucson is a bold new car and our brand ambassador that brings to life our claim ‘New Thinking, New Possibilities’. Through great design and advanced technologies, it represents another leap forward for Hyundai in Europe. And, as a total package, it offers customers value beyond expectations,” said Jochen Sengpiehl, vice president marketing at Hyundai Motor Europe.

The brand added that the new Tucson will be of high importance to Hyundai’s European business, as the C-SUV segment accounted for 22% of the company’s sales in 2014.

The new Tucson is built on a completely new platform that brings generous interior dimensions plus 513 litres of luggage capacity with all seats upright.

Styling highlights include a bold front-end design dominated by the Hyundai signature hexagonal front grille, with distinctive LED daytime running lights.

The cabin introduces new soft-touch, high-quality materials, with the front seats offering powered adjustment, heating and ventilation. Heated rear seats with reclining backrests will be available.

The interior also features an 8-inch display screen for the new generation navigation system, which is more than three times faster than the previous version fitted in Hyundai cars. It also has more route options with quickly updated map material stored on an SD card and comes with a seven-year free subscription to TomTom LIVE services including TomTom traffic, Places, Speed Cameras and Weather.

New convenience features offered with the new Tucson include a smart powered tailgate which opens at the approach of the key-holder, keyless-entry and engine start, an electric parking brake and a Smart Parking Assist System with parallel and bay parking functions.

Safety features include an Autonomous Emergency Braking system with three operation modes: pedestrian, city and inter-urban – which triggers automatic braking whenever it detects an unsafe closing speed with a person or vehicle in front, from low to high speeds.

In addition, there’s a Lane Keeping Assist System, Rear-Cross Traffic Alert system and Blind Spot Detection along with the Speed Limit Information Function. And the Active Hood System raises the vehicle’s hood to cushion the impact shock in a frontal collision with a pedestrian or cyclist.

The new model will be available with one of the widest powertrain ranges in its class. These include a 1.6-litre GDI petrol unit with 129bhp or the 1.6-litre T-GDI unit with 171bhp – plus three diesel options: a 114bhp 1.7-litre plus a 2.0-litre with 135bhp or 184bhp.

The 1.6-litre T-GDI petrol and 2.0-litre diesel engine can be mated with a 4WD-system, which delivers 100% of torque to the front wheels during normal road driving and up to 40% to the rear wheels, automatically, depending on conditions.

The new Tucson will go on sale in Europe during the second half of 2015.