Ahead of its debut, Hyundai India has confirmed its latest offering, the Hyundai Exter micro-SUV, will be equipped with six airbags as standard. This will make the Exter – which will slot in below the Venue in Hyundai’s SUV line-up – the first sub-four-metre SUV from Hyundai to have six airbags as part of its standard safety kit across variants. Notably, this comes a few months ahead of the government’s deadline for all passenger vehicles sold in India to be fitted with six airbags as standard, which presently is October 1, 2023.
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Hyundai has also confirmed that other vital safety features, including electronic stability control (ESC), Hill Assist Control (HAC) and Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) will be available on all variants except the entry-level E and S trims, on which they will be offered as optional extras.
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Higher variants of the Exter will pack a dashcam with dual cameras.
Other key features of the Exter will include auto headlights with an ‘escort’ function, a reverse camera, ABS with EBD, three-point seat belts and belt reminders for all passengers and rear parking sensors. Higher variants of the Exter will come with a dashcam (with dual cameras), a tyre pressure monitoring system (Highline) as well as a burglar alarm system.
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Codenamed ‘Ai3’, the Exter – which will take on the hot-selling Tata Punch – adopts what Hyundai calls the ‘Sensuous Sportiness’ global design language. The Exter has a boxy silhouette, but also brings a handful of interesting styling elements to the table.
Expected to be based on an existing Hyundai small car platform, the Exter will be closer in size to the Punch. At launch, the Exter will only be available with a sole petrol engine option – the 1.2-litre, naturally-aspirated unit found in a number of compact Hyundai models. There will also be a CNG version available, in S and SX trims.
The Exter will be offered with a five-speed manual, as well as an AMT.
Aside from a five-speed manual, the 1.2-litre petrol version of the Exter will also be offered with an automated manual transmission (AMT). The CNG version of the Exter, however, will only be available with the manual gearbox.
When it arrives in showrooms in the coming months, expect the Hyundai Exter to be priced competitively, with an estimated price range of Rs 6 lakh to Rs 11 lakh (ex-showroom). The Exter will be an important addition to Hyundai’s portfolio, as it will take the Punch head-on, a model that has enabled Tata Motors to exert intense and continued pressure on the Korean carmaker for the No. 2 spot on sales charts.
