Hyundai Australia taps Vietnam for Tucson sourcing, other models could follow

Hyundai Australia will import a single variant of the current-generation Tucson lineup from its plant in Vietnam, and it says this opens up opportunities for other vehicles to be imported from the Southeast Asian nation.

The Tucson BLK Edition will be imported from Vietnam with Hyundai’s turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder hybrid powertrain and front-wheel drive.

“Hyundai will start importing a special edition Tucson from Vietnam opening a new supply channel for our brand, and a first for the Australian market,” said a Hyundai Australia spokesperson in a statement.

“The Tucson BLK Edition will be offered with a hybrid 2WD powertrain, and be positioned between the current Elite and Premium trim grades, with deliveries scheduled to commence in Q4 [October to December] this year. More details will be confirmed closer to the vehicle’s launch in Australia.

“This new supply channel creates the potential for additional Hyundai models to be sourced from Vietnam in the future, however there are no plans to expand sourcing at this time.”

This suggests that, should there be any major interruptions at Hyundai’s other plants, it could tap Vietnam for vehicle supply.

Hyundai produces various vehicles in Vietnam where some imported vehicles face significant tariffs, and where Best Selling Cars Blog reports the Korean brand was the number one marque as recently as 2024, before finishing in fourth place in 2025.

In addition to the Tucson, Hyundai’s Vietnamese operations produce models currently sold in Australia (but sourced from other countries) such as the Elantra (i30 Sedan), Venue, Santa Fe and Palisade. The electric Ioniq 5 has also been produced here.

Also produced in Vietnam are models not sold in Australia, such as the Grand i10, Accent, Creta and Custin.

While images have yet to be released, the Tucson BLK Edition is expected to feature various black exterior touches, like the Night Edition offered in North America.

These may include black alloy wheels and mirror caps and a black interior headliner, among other aesthetic tweaks, though Hyundai has confirmed the Vietnamese-sourced Tucson will feature all the same standard equipment as the mid-range Korean-sourced Tucson Elite.

The Elite comes standard with equipment such as a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with satellite navigation and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as the Bluelink suite of connected services, keyless entry and start, heated front seats and leather trim for the seats and steering wheel.

Given its position between the Elite and Premium, the Tucson BLK Edition should wear a price tag somewhere between their $48,350 and $58,350 sticker prices. As Australia has a free-trade agreement with Vietnam, the BLK Edition won’t be subject to any import duties.

All other Tucson variants are currently sourced from South Korea for the Australian market, though the mid-size SUV is also built in Czechia, the US, Mexico, China, Taiwan, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Bangladesh.

Some of these plants, like the one in Vietnam, assemble the Tucson from completely knocked down (CKD) kits.

Hyundai Australia currently sources most of its models from South Korea, though the Elexio hails from China, the i30 Hatch N from Czechia, and the i20 N from Türkiye.

The company has also previously sourced the i20 from India, while the ix35 – as the second-generation Tucson was known here – had split Korean/Czech sourcing.

With the Tucson BLK Edition, Vietnam is expected to become the 33rd country to export vehicles to Australia.

Vietnamese automaker VinFast had planned an Australian entry, even acquiring Holden’s old proving ground in Lang Lang, Victoria, before scrapping these plans in 2021.

While China is the largest exporter of vehicles to Australia today and joins Japan, Korea, Thailand, Germany, the US and the UK as one of the countries to supply large numbers of models to Australia, there have been various countries over the years that have exported only a handful of vehicle models Down Under.

The Renault Duster is currently sourced from Romania, from where the Ford Puma was previously shipped.

The Aston Martin DBX is produced in Wales, Indonesia gave us the Suzuki APV, Finland produced convertible versions of the Saab 900 and 9-3, Brazil the Ford F-250 and F-350, and Argentina the previous-generation Volkswagen Amarok, while later examples of the first-generation Ford Escape hailed from Taiwan.

MORE: Explore the Hyundai Tucson showroom