Hyundai Creta Turns 10: Charting The SUV's Evolution Over A Decade

2025 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Hyundai Creta in India. The compact SUV first arrived on the scene in late July 2015 and since then has gone on to establish itself as a segment favourite. Hyundai says that to date, it has cumulatively sold over 12 lakh units of the Creta in India over its two generations while also exporting over 2.8 lakh units across 13 countries. So how did it all start? Well, let's turn back the clocks to 2015.

Hyundai Creta Gen 1

Launch: July 2015

Launch price: Rs 8.59 lakh (ex-showroom)

The first-gen Creta arrived at a time when the venerable Renault Duster ruled the roost in the compact SUV market. The Creta was Hyundai’s first crack at the compact SUV segment and went on to displace the Duster as the segment bestseller, offering buyers a mix of petrol and diesel powertrains, automatic gearbox options and a long list of features. The SUV would go on to receive over 1 lakh bookings in its first eight months on sale, and sales crossed 80,000 units in June 2016.

The first-gen Creta was offered with three engine options - a 1.4-litre diesel (89bhp, 200Nm), a larger 1.6-litre diesel (126bhp, 260Nm) and a 1.6-litre petrol (121bhp, 155Nm). Gearbox options included both manual and torque converter automatic on the larger displacement units while the 1.4 diesel was manual only.

In typical Hyundai fashion, the SUV continued to receive minute updates over its years in the form of changes to the feature list, variant choices and engine option availability.

Hyundai Creta Gen 1 Facelift

Launch: May 2018

Launch price: Rs 9.43 lakh (ex-showroom)

The Gen 1 Creta received a major facelift around halfway through 2018 though it did not majorly change the formula. The styling was updated to bring in line with the brand’s latest design language while the cabin benefited from newer features, including a segment-first electric sunroof, a power-adjustable driver seat and even a wireless charging pad.

The powertrain formula remained unchanged with the familiar trio of engines continuing to do duty under the hood.

The updated SUV would go on to receive over 15,000 bookings within the first month. The Creta would go on to cross the cumulative 5 lakh sales mark in the following year with 3.7 lakh units sold in the Indian market.

Hyundai Creta Gen 2

Launch: March 2020

Launch price: Rs 9.99 lakh (ex-showroom)

India got its first official look at the second-gen Creta in January 2020 at the Auto Expo, with the SUV launching in March. The second-gen Creta looked to cement the Creta’s popularity in the market, packing in an even more extensive feature list and a range of new-gen engine options, though the design could split opinion.

Engine options now include a naturally aspirated 1.5 petrol, a more powerful 1.5 turbo-petrol and a 1.5 diesel engine, each offered with manual and automatic gearbox options - each engine getting its own unique automatic gearbox.

Subjective design aside, the new Creta proved to be just as popular, receiving 14,000 bookings between its debut and launch and crossing the 1 lakh mark by October 2020. By March 2021, sales of the Gen 2 SUV had crossed the 2 lakh unit mark, while the SUV’s sales cumulatively exceeded 5 lakh units.

2021 would bring another notable update to the Creta with the introduction of the iMT gearbox option that removed the need to operate a clutch pedal while still retaining the feel of a manual gearbox.

The second-gen SUV would also form the basis of a larger three-row SUV, which would launch in India in 2021 as the Alcazar.

Hyundai Creta Gen 2 Facelift

Launch: Jan 2024

Launch price: Rs 11 lakh (ex-showroom)

Hyundai debuted and launched the facelifted second-gen Creta in January 2024. Hyundai gave the Creta a significant redesign with the facelift giving it a more upright and mature look while still retaining the split headlamp look. Tech, too, took some leaps forward with the biggest upgrade being the addition of advanced driver assistance functions on the fully loaded model. The engine options, however, continued to remain unchanged.

The new Creta looked to be even more popular than its predecessor with bookings exceeding 60,000 units within a month. The Creta name plate also crossed the 1 million unit sales milestone in February 2024. The second-gen Creta facelift crossed the 1 lakh sales mark by late July of the same year.

The facelifted Gen 2 SUV would also mark the first time that the Creta would receive a sportier N-Line variant and an all-electric derivative. The Creta N-Line arrived hot on the heels of the launch of the facelifted SUV while the all-electric Creta Electric followed a year later in early 2025. The N Line added slightly sharper styling to the mix along with tweaks to the exhaust and suspension to add a sportier feel.

The Creta Electric also features design updates to the exterior and cabin while offering zero tailpipe emissions motoring.