Hyundai’s Mysterious Upcoming Small SUV Is a Friendly Ghost
Hyundai has a new small SUV coming down the pipe. The tiny SUV formerly known as the Hyundai AX-1 is now being referred to as “Casper.” There are still many question marks surrounding Hyundai’s small SUV, but we know that it will be smaller than the already compact Hyundai Venue. Initial reports suggested it would only be sold in India, but that seems to be changing.
Will we get the Hyundai Casper?
CarScoops reports that the Casper was only meant to be sold in the Indian market, but it might be expanding. Some reports suggest that Hyundai might bring the small SUV back home to the South Korean market as well. Unfortunately, this seems like yet another interesting car that Americans won’t see. However, the rest of the world seems to be getting a better shot at the little friendly ghost.
The underpinnings for the little Casper are pretty much the same as the K1, which is already a common ride in India. Considering its built on the same platform as the K1, CarScoops reports the Casper will probably measure between 3.7 and 3.8 meters long and sport an upright and boxy design with angular pillars and a flat roofline.
When is this small SUV coming out?
Hyundai released some teaser images in May. The images showed a single headlight, revealing that the little cutie will have separate headlights instead of a light bar. One of the images was also of a single tail light, a complex array made up of many little LED triangles. Circular light units will also be located on Casper’s bumper.
Hyundai will likely release another teaser before the Casper comes out into the light of day.
What else do we know about the Mysterious small SUV?
The entry-level Casper is said to sport a 1.1-liter making a very cute 68 hp and 77 lb-ft of torque. Because it is coming stateside, it comes with a five-speed manual transmission as standard and an optional five-speed automatic transmission.
The bigger, hopped-up engine on the top trim is a beefy 1.2-liter making an earth-crushing 82 hp and 83 lb-ft of torque.
Although there isn’t much to get excited about from a performance or enthusiast standpoint, it’s a shame that the Casper won’t come stateside. 68 hp is all that exciting, but these little city cars/SUVs are an efficient and affordable option that could really help many Americans.
We simply don’t have anything this small, cheap, and practical here. As a result, it is nearly impossible to get a decent, reliable car without spending a boatload of cash. These micro-cars are fuel-efficient, cheap to maintain, and cheap to buy.
Although American’s may never cave to slower, more economical vehicles like a Kei car, for instance, we can keep looking abroad and dream of having cheaper, more economical options for average folks.
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