Hyundai AX1 micro SUV is expected to launch in India in late 2021 or sometime 2022 to rival the upcoming Tata HBX and Mahindra KUV NXT
Hyundai Motor Company has been testing a small SUV in its homeland of South Korea and it will sit at the bottom of its global SUV portfolio. Besides South Korea, it could be aimed at emerging markets targeting high volumes and thus India could be part of the strategy. With the micro SUV segment slowly getting attention from manufacturers, it will be hotly contested in the coming years.
The segment was realised by Mahindra KUV100 but it could not become a massive hit and Maruti Suzuki S-Presso joined in last year to make a strong impact. Tata Motors, as part of expanding into 95 per cent of the addressable volume segments, will be debuting the production version of the HBX concept next year and its launch could happen following the market entry of seven-seater Gravitas.
The micro SUV is internally codenamed the AX1 and we showed you first spy pictures of the model a few weeks ago. It could be introduced in its home market by the middle of next year and thus it is expected to land in India sometime in late 2021 or in early 2022. When it does, it will sit below the Venue compact SUV in the domestic portfolio.
Therefore, expect it to be priced around Rs. 5.50 lakh and Rs. 8.50 lakh (ex-showroom). A new spy video shows the side profile of the upcoming Hyundai AX1 as it has tall pillars and upright body surfaces and slightly rectangular wheel arches with thick black cladding. In addition, front and rear disc brakes can also been noted hiding behind the alloy wheels and the roof rails are also present.
The rear appears to feature wraparound LED tail lamps and fog lamps mounted on the bumper but we are skeptical whether they are production ready or not yet. Furthermore, the sculpted tailgate and shark fin antenna are other additions. The upright front fascia looks to have a prominent grille and split headlamps.
Expected to be based on the Santro’s platform, it could be powered by a 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine, mated to either a five-speed manual or a five-speed AMT.