The Hyundai Micro SUV, internally codenamed Ai3, has been teased for the first time hinting that the Tata Punch rival will go on sale in the coming months
Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) has released the first official teaser image of its upcoming entry-level SUV internally codenamed Ai3, just a couple of weeks after it was spotted on public roads wearing camouflage. While the teaser does not reveal much, the view through the right side ORVM shows a bunch of cheetahs staring in and the tagline read ‘coming soon to take your places’.
The theme of ‘think outside’ portrays the ability to do short adventure trips? We will know more about the five-seater in the coming weeks though as we expect it to make its global debut by the middle of this calendar year before reaching dealerships in Q3 2023 ahead of the festive season. In India, it will be positioned below the Venue compact SUV.
Hyundai Micro SUV Specs
The Hyundai Ai3 will compete against Tata Punch and Citroen C3 while going up against some variants of the Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger. It will be underpinned by the same platform found in the Grand i10 Nios and Aura. As for the performance, the familiar 1.2L NA petrol engine will be utilised, producing around 83 PS and 114 Nm of peak torque.
It will more likely be paired with a five-speed MT or a five-speed AMT. The Hyundai Ai3 will have its design inspired by the Casper sold in South Korea as a split headlamp cluster with LED Daytime Running Lights sitting below the bonnet and above the main headlamps, a wide upright grille section and a lower air intake will be available.
The rear will be more conventional compared to the Casper and faux skid plates could be given at the front and the back. The pillars will be tall and newly designed alloy wheels will be sold in the top-end variants. The interior could have several commonalities with the Grand i10 Nios, which received a facelift earlier this year with the inclusion of new features.
Expect the starting price to hover around Rs. 6 lakh and it may go up to Rs. 9 lakh (ex-showroom).