Hyundai Staria will go on sale before the end of this year in Australia to replace the popular iMax; could be based on a new platform
Hyundai has released the first set of teaser images of the Staria, which will act as a replacement to the iMax in the Australian market. Scheduled to go on sale before the end of this year, the Staria will have its work cut out as it steps in place of the highly popular iMax people mover. Hyundai has not revealed any official details involving the specifications and features list of the 2022 Staria yet.
The Staria name closely aligns with the Starex moniker used by the brand in its home market of South Korea and the pictures show a rather futuristic exterior with retro design elements. For instance, the bonnet slopes downwards and has a horizontal LED lighting strip running across suggesting that the tall driver’s seating position should ensure ample road view.
The passengers will also likely get an airier cabin due to the dimensional changes involved and the boxy appearance with tall pillars despite the heavily raked front windshield. The blackened pillars do instigate a frameless appeal, which is futuristic nevertheless, and the rear comes with pillar-mounted vertical LED tail lamps with an upright lid.
Despite having a boxy stance, Hyundai has played around with the styling elements elsewhere to give a sporty look with the Hyundai badge mounted on the slanting bonnet. It features an eccentric wide front grille with LED headlamps, an elongated silhouette, rectangular-shaped mirrors and a clean side profile having pull-in door handles. The 2022 Hyundai Staria MPV will be sold in Staria and Staria Premium variants.
Hyundai says the MPV will be loaded with high tech features and technologies and many of them would be driver-centric. It appears to be based on a new architecture, possibly shared with Kia carnival, as the iMax has been in the business for well over ten years. As for the performance, mild-hybrid and all-electric powertrains could be utilised sending power to the front wheels.
The brand will launch the Alcazar seven-seater SUV based on the Creta next in India in the coming months and an MPV could be considered for the near future.
