It is speculated that the recently unveiled Hyundai Casper micro SUV will be launched in our market in early 2022. The micro SUV will first go on sale in South Korea before the end of this year. A new media report claims that the Casper mini SUV will not launch in the Indian market.
The report claims that the Hyundai Casper will mainly be produced for the South Korean market. The micro SUV has been specifically designed and developed to meet the Korean ‘light car’ or Gyeongcha regulation, similar to the Japanese KEI car regulation or sub-4 meter regulations in our market.
The Korean Government offers lower tax bracket for cars measuring under 3.6 meters or 3,600mm in length. In terms of proportions, the new Hyundai Casper is 3,595mm long, 1,595mm wide and 1,575mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,400mm. It is based on the K1 compact car platform that also underpins the Hyundai Santro and the Grand i10 Nios. The new Casper is shorter and narrower than the Santro; however, it is taller than the later.
Due to its ultra compact size, Hyundai believes that the small Casper won’t be the right product for the Indian market. The Korean-spec Casper will be offered with two engine options – a 1.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol and a new 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol. The naturally aspirated engine will produce around 76bhp of power, and will be paired to a 4-speed automatic gearbox. The 1.0-litre 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine will be the same unit that powers the Grand i10 Nios Turbo and the Aura Turbo. Paired to a 4-speed automatic gearbox, the new turbo unit will produce around 100bhp of power.
Styling of the new Casper is inspired by the Venue compact SUV. In fact, it looks like a compact Venue with boxy design and hatchback like rear profile. Design highlights include split headlamps with LED DRLs, clamshell bonnet with aggressive creases, finish faux skid plate, dual-tone roof-rails, ORVMs with integrated blinkers, C-pillar integrated rear door handles, parametric jewel type LED lights at the back, roof-integrated spoiler with brake lights, etc.
