Hyundai already has a mini-SUV styled small car called Casper on offer, which is 3.6m long – For India, they are building a slightly longer version
Hyundai is currently one of the largest SUV makers in India. Their Creta is the top seller in the segment. In the sub 4m segment, Hyundai has Venue to take on the likes of Nexon, Sonet, XUV300, Brezza and the likes. Even though Venue is not exactly a segment leader, it has held up to its own very well. As for the mini-SUV segment that sits beneath the sub 4m segment, Hyundai has no contestants.
This is the segment where Tata Punch is currently the leader. It is accompanied by Citroen C3, Renault Kiger and Nissan Magnite. This is the lower tier sub 4m SUV segment, even though Citroen doesn’t call its C3 an SUV. It is in this segment that Hyundai will launch its upcoming mini-SUV, which has now been spied.
Hyundai Ai3 (Tata Punch Rival) – Spy Shots
Hyundai’s latest compact car model, the Ai3, has been spotted on the road. The car is slightly larger than the Casper, which is a similar styled car on sale in South Korea. It’s worth noting that the Casper is built at Gwangju Global Motors Co. Ltd. (GGM), a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Company and the Gwangju city government.
Casper will not be coming to India, because it will be too small to rival the Tata Punch. Casper has a length of 3,595 mm while Punch is 3,827 mm long. Coming back to the India-spec mini SUV, currently codenamed Ai3, it will have a similar length as that of Punch.
New spy shots reveal the presence of sunroof, LED DRLs, alloys, projector headlamps, etc. Headlamp units feature an H-shaped light element, and one of the test mules has circular fog lamps. The other has a rectangular fog lamp unit. Tail lamps may also have the H-shaped design element via LED unit. There are steel wheels on offer for entry variants and top-spec variants will get alloys.
While the spyshots don’t reveal much about the car’s features, they do confirm that road testing is ongoing. The headlamps and tail lamps are the most notable aspects in these spy photos, offering some insight into design. New Ai3 is considered to be a strategic model for Hyundai India. It’s expected to be a bit longer than a standard compact car here.
Hyundai Mini SUV Engine Specs
In India, this upcoming mini SUV will be fitted with the same set of powertrain Hyundai offers on its lower end cars. Even the gearbox combinations are likely to be similar. These include a 1.2L naturally aspirated 4-cylinder petrol engine with 75 bhp and 95 Nm. It may also get a 1.0L turbocharged 3-cylinder petrol engine with 99 bhp and 172 Nm.
Hyundai’s new generation of cars is known for its evolving design, so the Ai3’s design will likely set the tone for the company’s small car crossovers in the future. It’s exciting to see what this new model will bring to the table. Launch of this new mini-SUV is expected to take place later this year, or early next year. Expect prices to be in the Rs 6 lakh to 10 lakh range, ex-sh.
