A report from South Korea states that Hyundai’s upcoming midsize MPV, likely to be named Stargazer, will be launched in the Indian market
Hyundai has been working on a new MPV these days, which has been spotted testing in South Korea and Indonesia. Rumoured to be named ‘Stargazer’, this upcoming vehicle will be a sister model to the Kia KY, with which it will share a platform. This new Hyundai MPV is expected to make its way to India as well, as per a report by Auto Post Korea.
The report also claims that the MPV will be manufactured at Hyundai’s Tamil Nadu plant, and will be exported to a few international markets. This is extremely likely, as local manufacturing will allow Hyundai to keep costs low in India, thereby pricing the vehicle more competitively. Also, Kia KY has already been spied a few times in our country, so it wouldn’t be farfetched for Hyundai to follow suit with its own version.
Thanks to spy pictures, we have a few clues about the styling of Hyundai Stargazer. The MPV will have a curvy silhouette, with a generous greenhouse area. It will get a split headlamp setup at the front, and at the rear, it will get sideways T-shaped LED taillights. Details about the interior remain a mystery at this point.
We expect features the vehicle to offer a digital instrument cluster, a large touchscreen infotainment system, wireless smartphone charger, power-operated ORVMs, all power windows, automatic climate control, etc. We also expect the interior to get premium upholstery options, and Hyundai might offer it in 6- and 7-seat configurations.
There is no word on the powertrains either at the moment. As per speculations, the Stargazer could get two engine options in the Indian market – a 1.5-litre turbo-diesel unit (115 PS/250 Nm) and a 2.0-litre NA petrol unit (159 PS/192 Nm) – taken from the Alcazar. Transmission options will likely consist of a 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic gearbox.
We expect Hyundai’s upcoming MPV to launch in the Indian market in the first half of 2022, although the manufacturer is yet to offer an official statement regarding this. It will likely be positioned as a rival to Mahindra Marazzo, just like Kia KY, and will also take on the extremely popular Maruti Ertiga.