The ix35 name was introduced by Hyundai in 2009 with the launch of the second generation Tucson crossover, but only outside South Korea and North America.

In China, Beijing Hyundai kept the ix35 as an independent model, due to its high demand.

[1] The first generation Chinese market Hyundai ix35 was the same as the European version (known by the project name LM) unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show[2][3] and commenced production in April 2010.

A facelift was launched in August 2013 with the updated design being the same version sold in South Korea, while different from the rest of the world.

[5] The Hyundai ix35 II was revealed on the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show in China, it was available to the Chinese car market in Q3 2017.