Is Hyundai PH on course for record-setting 2025?
It’s October!
For most people, it’s midway through the “-ber” months until the much-awaited holiday season (as superstar Mariah Carey reminded us all in her stunning performance of her hit song “All I Want for Christmas Is You” at her SM Mall of Asia concert this month). For businesses like car companies, it’s the start of the final quarter until a new year begins.
Hyundai Motor Philippines (HMPH) has been working hard in 2025 to build on its impressive success – it sold 12,023 units last year, a 32-percent leap from 2023. This likewise made the South Korean carmaker the eighth-best in terms of 2024 sales, according to data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc.
We take a look back at the new models that HMPH rolled out this year that could help it set a new sales record.
Radical new look
Besides Mariah’s wildly popular concert, last Tuesday marked the launch of the revised 2025 Hyundai STARGAZER and STARGAZER X seven-seat, multi-purpose vehicles (MPV).
First debuting in the Philippines in November 2022, the duo was certainly due for a midlife refresh, but Hyundai really went to town with the styling – its “Stars” are arguably worthier of gazes than ever before.
Particularly notable is the addition of the Hyundai Smartsense active-safety suite in the top-spec STARGAZER X Premium. This means that the Honda BR-V VX, which comes standard with the brilliant Honda SENSING system, isn’t the only MPV with advanced, life-saving technology anymore.
This pair of MPVs really matter, making up around half of HMPH’s 2024 sales. These updates may provide that needed last-quarter push.
Hybrid cars
This year also marked the addition of three hybrid-electric vehicles (HEV) in the HMPH lineup that coincided with the return of their respective models to the Philippines.
The Hyundai Elantra HEV came first at the 2025 Manila International Auto Show last April, available in GLS and Premium variants. It is powered by a 1.6-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline engine mated to an electric motor for a combined output of 139 horsepower and 264 Newton-meters of torque, which are coursed through a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT).
Meanwhile, the Hyundai Kona HEV was launched to much fanfare last June with the help of heartthrob actor and Hyundai Brand Ambassador Piolo Pascual. This electrified crossover gets the same powerplant as the Elantra HEV and is priced to take on the Toyota Yaris Cross HEV and the Honda HR-V e:HEV.
Finally, the Palisade full-size crossover came back to our shores last July with more eye-catching styling and a sumptuous, three-row cabin. It’s powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline-hybrid engine with a combined output of 329 horsepower and 422 Newton-meters of torque, mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
These models are timely as electrified-vehicle sales are on the upswing in the Philippines, thanks to substantially better fuel consumption and the promise of easier maintenance.
Updating a classic
The revamped Hyundai Creta subcompact crossover was also launched last May, sporting more aggressive styling inside and outside.
Buyers can now choose from two 1.5-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline engines – the non-turbocharged GL, GLS and Premium variants get 113 horsepower and 144 Newton-meters of torque that are coursed through Hyundai’s Intelligent Variable Transmission. Meanwhile, the turbocharged N Line gets 158 horsepower, 253 Newton-meters of torque and a 7-speed DCT.
Something rather groundbreaking for the segment is the standard Hyundai Smartsense in the Premium and N Line models. As of press time, the Creta slots under the Kona in the HMPH lineup and is priced against Chinese subcompact crossovers like the Geely Coolray.
Unless HMPH has other new models in store, these five hard-hitting cars could help hurtle the automaker to new heights.
