Hyundai Will Not Bring The Entry-Level Casper SUV To India

Hyundai’s smallest SUV will probably be exclusive to South Korea

• Hyundai will not launch the Casper in India due to its ultra-compact dimensions. 

• Will be launched in South Korea as a ‘light car’ (or a sub-3.6-metre car) for tax benefits.

• It is as big as the Hyundai Santro, which would’ve made it a competitor to the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso and Renault Kwid in India. 

• In South Korea, the Casper will be powered by 67PS 1-litre MPI and 100PS 1-litre turbo-petrol engines. 

According to a media report from our sister concern, Powerdrift, Hyundai will not launch the Casper micro SUV in India. Instead, it will be exclusively sold in South Korea. 

The Hyundai Casper has been developed to meet South Korea’s ‘light car’ regulations (similar to the sub-4-metre type in India). So, it cannot be longer than 3.6 metres to comply with tax benefits stipulations there. That would make the 3,595mm-long Casper (3595mm) even smaller than the Santro (3,610mm). 

We were expecting Hyundai to offer this as an entry-level SUV in India. However, given its dimensions, the carmaker believes that India is not the right market for it. Here, it would have rivalled the Tata Punch, Maruti Ignis, and Mahindra KUV100. For reference, the Ignis and KUV100 are 3,700mm long, over 100mm longer than the Hyundai. 

Had it been launched here, the Casper would’ve been slotted below the Venue, priced from around Rs 6 lakh. In South Korea, it gets 67PS 1-litre MPI and 100PS 1-litre turbo-petrol engines, both paired with manual and automatic transmissions. 

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Meanwhile, Tata has revealed the upcoming Punch micro SUV, which will take on the Maruti Suzuki Ignis and Mahindra KUV100, both measuring around 3.7 metres in length. So, Hyundai might just bring in another India-spec offering with similar dimensions.

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