Hyundai's new micro SUV spotted, will rival Tata Punch and Maruti Suzuki Ignis

Hyundai is working on a new micro SUV and it is expected that it will come to the Indian market. It will sit below the Venue in Hyundai's line-up and is codenamed Ai3. Now, a new camouflaged test mule has been spotted in South Korea, going by the dimensions and the design, it seems like it is the Ai3 which could also make its way to India. Once launched, the Hyundai Ai3 will go against Tata Punch, Citroen C3, Maruti Suzuki Ignis, Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger.

The design of the test mule is a bit similar to the Hyundai Casper which is sold in the global market. Everyone expected that Casper would launch in India and it did create quite a bit of excitement among the Indian buyers. However, then Hyundai announced that Casper will not be launched in India.

Hyundai Ai3: Some of the design inspirations are taken from the Hyundai Casper that is sold in global markets. (Photo courtesy: YouTube/악군TV)

Having said that, the new micro-SUV that has been spotted does take some design elements from Casper. The test mule boasts a split headlamp setup so the main headlight is placed below and a projector setup can be clearly seen. As of now, it is not known whether it is using a halogen or LED setup. The vehicle does have an SUV profile with up-right angles and there are roof rails to further accentuate the SUV profile.

The upcoming micro-SUV will be based on the same platform as the Grand i10 Nios and Aura. The engines are also expected to be shared with the same vehicles. There could be a turbocharged petrol engine on offer as well. It is expected that there will be no diesel engine on offer because the Aura as well as the Grand i10 Nios are no longer being offered with a diesel engine. Having said that, Hyundai also offers a CNG powertrain with the Aura and Grand i10 Nios, as of now, it is not known whether CNG powertrain will be offered with the upcoming micro SUV or not.