A spy shot of the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe.

Hyundai appears to be preparing a radical redesign of the Santa Fe, as evidenced by a recently spotted prototype.

The Santa Fe is Hyundai's oldest SUV nameplate, and the current fourth-generation model is the brand's top seller, with nearly 120,000 units sold in 2022 in the United States alone.

The prototype points to a more boxy design for the new generation of the five-passenger mid-size SUV, which is expected to hit the market later this year as a 2024 model.

The new Santa Fe is expected to be a heavier update of the current model, as opposed to a grand-up redesign. This is because Hyundai switched the current model to a new platform midway through its life cycle.

It dates back to 2020, when Kia, another Hyundai Motor Group brand, launched a redesigned version of its related Sorento on the new platform. Kia is currently testing a prototype of the updated Sorento, which is expected to arrive with the new Santa Fe as a 2024 model.

It is not clear what is planned for the powertrain, but it should carry over most of the current model's options, perhaps with tweaks to performance, efficiency, or both. This means a choice of turbocharged or naturally aspirated four-cylinder engines, including hybrid and plug-in hybrid configurations.