Hyundai Casper, rival to Tata Punch, revealed for the first time

Hyundai has revealed the looks of its new micro SUV Casper in South Korea. The Korean carmaker is gearing up to launch the 2022 Casper in the home markets first, possibly before the end of this year. It is already open for pre-bookings, before the price is announced officially within next few weeks.

The official images of Casper shared by Hyundai confirms the micro SUV will get a prominent radiator grille, round head light units, sizeable wheel arches and distinctly curving body lines.

Hyundai Casper, primarily being targeted for city-based customers, is the production version of Hyundai's Project AX1. Hyundai Casper is based on the K1 platform, the same one used for the Hyundai i10. The Casper is smaller than the Kona and Venue SUVs. For comparison, this car has dimensions of 3,600 mm which means it is in the same class as the Suzuki Ignis and Renault KWID.

Hyundai will also drive in the Casper SUV in India soon. When launched in the Indian markets, it will compete with cars such as the Tata Punch, Renault KWID and Maruti Suzuki Ignis. Hyundai will place this model a notch below the Venue SUV.

Hyundai is likely to offer Casper with a choice of a 1.2-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated engine, the same that powers the Grand i10 Nios, producing 83 hp of power and 114 Nm of peak torque.

Hyundai has confirmed two engine options for Casper in South Korea. It will be offered with a 1.0-litre multi-point injection engine and a turbocharged version, which will also be powered by a 1.0-litre engine with direct injection. The two engines are capable of producing 75 hp and 99 hp of power respectively. As for the Indian markets, Hyundai is likely to offer Casper with a choice of a 1.2-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated engine, the same that powers the Grand i10 Nios, producing 83 hp of power and 114 Nm of peak torque.

For global markets, Hyundai is also likely to offer Casper micro SUV with a hybrid or full electric engine option. There are also reports that the Hyundai Casper will get a fully electric version and will go into production in mid-2023. It is likely to get an integrated drive module (iDM). For the electric Casper, the engine will run at 400V with a peak power of 181 hp although it is likely such a light vehicle will use a less powerful version.