Hyundai has revealed the first hydrogen-powered car to be sold in Australia.

The machine broke cover at a special preview in Korea, where the company announced sweeping plans to introduce a range of hybrid and electric-powered vehicles in coming years.

Positioned between the Tucson and Santa Fe SUVs in size, the new car follows the compact Kona with new SUV-specific design language likely to flow to future models. It features Mercedes-Benz-like twin digital dashboards along with a high centre console offering a commanding driving position.

But the most important news is under the bonnet, where the machine has a revised fuel cell propulsion system that transforms hydrogen gas into electricity, emitting water and warmth as its only waste products.

Hyundai has not locked in the car’s name, arrival date or full technical specifications, which will be confirmed at its official debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January 2018.

Hyundai debuts new fuel-cell vehicle. Photo: Supplied

But we do know the model will be Hyundai’s most advanced car yet, offering advanced semi-autonomous driving capabilities in tandem with its eco-conscious driveline.

It will be the first fuel cell-powered vehicle sold in Australia, joining a handful of company-owned demonstrators already operated by Hyundai and Toyota. The catch is that there is very little hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in Australia, though that may change as government and private groups look to green transport solutions.

Known internally as the Hyundai “FE”, the car drives the front wheels through an electric motor with 120kW of power and just shy of 400Nm in torque. Three hydrogen tanks in the rear of the car offer at least 580 kilometres of practical driving range, around 150km more than the outgoing model.

Hyundai was the first manufacturer to sell a fuel cell-powered car to the public, introducing a hydrogen-fuelled machine based on the Tucson (also known as the ix35) in 2013.

Speaking with Drive in Seoul, Dr Sae Hoon Kim, head of Hyundai’s fuel cell research division, admits that car was a “temporary” measure rushed into production before it was truly ready to go on sale.

“We were the first to commercialise and mass produce this vehicle but technically it was not perfect, that I can confess,” he says.

“We did not solve the durability problem at the time. It was very urgent to provide our vehicle to customers, especially hydrogen station operators.

“The new FE is really for the general public. We have mostly solved the durability problem and the driving range will be more than 580 kilometres for one charge – compared to the Tucson, which was 425 kilometres or something like that.”

Hyundai only guaranteed that the previous model would run effectively for four years, whereas the new car should be good for 10 years and 160,000 kilometres.

Hyundai has already begun testing the fuel cell vehicle in Australia. Photo: Supplied

Dr Kim says the revised machine could have a range of up to 800 kilometres in the more optimistic European fuel economy test, a number that should prove “quite sufficient for customers”.

While Hyundai has worked to reduce the cost of Fuel Cell Tucson, which cost around $US80,000 ($100,000) Dr Kim says the new model’s price “cannot go dramatically down”.

Hyundai has not announced an Australian price for the vehicle, which could go on sale for around $80,000.

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Hyundai debuts new fuel-cell vehicle. Photo: Supplied