Tata Punch-rivalling Hyundai Casper’s Exterior Revealed

Update: Hyundai will not launch the Casper micro SUV in India.

• The Casper’s exterior confirms design elements such as a rectangular-ish front grille, circular headlamps with LED DRLs, and LED tail lamps.

• Its images also show the C-pillar door handles, a free-floating touchscreen, and a sunroof.

• Hyundai is expected to offer it with connected car tech, auto climate control, and a rear parking camera.

• The India-spec Casper could get the Grand i10 Nios’ 1.2-litre petrol and diesel engines, plus its 1-litre turbo-petrol unit.

• Expect it to be priced from just under Rs 6 lakh (ex-showroom).

Hyundai has released a set of images showcasing the exterior of its upcoming micro SUV, the Casper, for the first time ahead of its imminent launch in South Korea.

The images show the exterior design bits of the Casper, such as a rectangular-ish front grille (with triangular elements), split headlamp setup, and circular LED DRLs. There’s a chunky gloss-black strip running above the round headlamps, flaunting the Hyundai logo in the centre. To make it more interesting, Hyundai will also offer a different mesh pattern for the front grille featuring two chrome circular elements to differentiate the standard and Active models.

From the side, you can see the flared wheel arches housing the 17-inch alloy wheels. This angle also shows the roof rails and C-pillar door handles of the Hyundai SUV. At the rear, it gets an integrated roof spoiler, LED tail lamps with triangular graphics-forming rings, and circular housings for the reverse indicator and fog lights in the bumper. The Casper is also seen with all-around body cladding.

Hyundai has also revealed the dimensions of the micro SUV: 3,595mm (length), 1,595mm (width), 1,575mm (height), and 2,400mm (wheelbase). It has also showcased three different exterior shades: red, blue, and olive green.

Although the interior hasn’t been revealed yet, we believe Hyundai will offer the Casper with a premium setup including white upholstery with black inserts as seen on a spied test mule. A closer look at these pictures also reveals a large free-floating infotainment setup (likely an 8-inch unit).

Also See: Hyundai i20 N Line Snapped At Signature Dealerships Ahead Of September 2 Launch

In terms of equipment, the Casper is expected to come with Hyundai’s BlueLink connected car tech, auto climate control, a rear parking camera, and a sunroof (as seen in the images). While its standard safety kit will include ABS with EBD and rear parking sensors, Hyundai could also equip it with electronic stability control and multiple airbags.

Hyundai Grand i10 Nios 1.2-litre diesel engine

Hyundai will offer the Casper with 1-litre naturally aspirated and turbo-petrol engines in South Korea. Rated at 76PS and 100PS respectively, both will get a 4-speed automatic gearbox. The India-spec Casper, however, could come with the Grand i10 Nios’ engines: 1.2-litre petrol (83PS/114Nm), 1.2-litre diesel (75PS/190Nm), and 1-litre turbo-petrol (100PS/172Nm). While the 1.2-litre petrol and diesel engines come with either a 5-speed manual or AMT, the turbo-petrol unit gets a 5-speed MT only.

We expect Hyundai to launch the Casper in India in 2022, with prices starting from just under Rs 6 lakh (ex-showroom). The micro SUV will go up against the Tata Punch, Maruti Ignis, and Mahindra KUV100 NXT.