Hyundai’s new electric car will be called the Inster, and will take the form of an A-segment, sub-compact electric car – think city cars, like the Kia Picanto, or the Fiat 500 – and it could be the first car to properly take the fight to budget Chinese brands, such as MG and BYD.
Bearing no relation to the social media app it sounds similar to, the Hyundai Inster will be the first mass-market A-segment electric car the South Korean carmaker has put out – the company calls it an “electric vehicle rising star”. Of the cars in Hyundai’s range, the Inster shares some style choices with the Ioniq range, but the most resemblance goes to the ‘Casper’, an A-segment car released exclusively in South Korea, intended as a city car.
It’ll be known as the Casper Electric in Korea, and the Inster everywhere else in the world, including in Australia, where it’s expected to come – lining up with trademarking efforts from late last year at least, per Cars Guide. Drive also spotted disguised local models being tested, though an Australian release is obviously to be announced.
The Inster might not break too far from the model Hyundai says it has evolved from, although the pictures we have seen imply that it’ll be at least a little bit larger – EVs tend to skew a little larger, so this lines up.
The news we’ve received today from the car giant is only the name, and a targeted maximum range of 355km WLTP. The company said the Inster will be “redefining what buyers can expect from a vehicle in this class.”
This is extremely welcome. The cheapest car Hyundai currently offers is the Kona Electric, a perfectly fine car, but at $54,000, it leaves some things to be desired, when you can get a better car all-round with the BYD Atto 3, or the MG4.
Below the Kona’s price, the only other non-Chinese EV you currently buy in Australia (excluding discounts) is the Fiat 500e; a car that’s exceptionally niche, per its size, style, and small battery range, but isn’t worth ignoring entirely.
The 500e is another A-segment electric car available in Australia, and below its entry price, you’ll find both a smattering of Chinese SUVs (such as the BYD Atto 3 and the MG ZS EV), along with small electric Chinese hatchbacks, like the MG4 and GWM Ora. Unlike the 500e, the Casper will have a compact SUV design.
If I were to hazard a guess, the Hyundai Casper may be aimed to take the Korean carmaker’s electric efforts into the mid-$40,000 price range, though Drive reported that it could dip below the $40K price point. An intended range of 350km WLTP is, let’s be honest, not great, but it’s more than the 500e’s, and it’s roughly in line with the base models on offer with the Ora, MG4, and BYD Dolphin; cars it’ll no doubt be rivalling when it arrives down under.
Those cars float between $35,000 and $40,000 for their starting prices, so Hyundai will likely be banking on a better driving experience. Not hard, considering the driver experience of its already available Chinese rivals are quite basic and not terribly intuitive, while Hyundai’s has some nice flare and detail to it.
The car will be shown off in detail at the Busan International Mobility Show at the end of June.
I’m so excited for it. Last year, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 was the runner-up for our Top EV of the Year award, but it ultimately lost out to the competitively priced MG4. If this new car is going to take the fight to MG, then you have me very interested.
Image: Hyundai