New Hyundai MPV, Off-Road SUV Confirmed For India

At its first-ever Investor Day, Hyundai India made some major announcements in regards to its plans in the coming years. The brand confirmed a bevy of new cars and SUVs for the Indian market, including an India-made EV - previously confirmed by its parent company, as well as a new MPV and an SUV designed to go off-roading.

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New MPV For India

In its Investor Day presentation, Hyundai revealed the new MPV will be a ‘family mover’ to offer ‘mobility for all’. There is little detail available on this new MPV for the Indian market, though Hyundai would have two paths to follow - a Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and XL6-rivalling MPV likely sharing its platform and powertrains with the Kia Carens. This would mark the safer route into the Indian MPV market with Hyundai already having access to a tested and ready platform, powertrains and tech. Hyundai could look to give its MPV a completely different top hat to differentiate it from its cousin. Hyundai does offer the Stargazer MPV in some Asian markets - based on the Carens platform - though it remains to be seen if this will be considered as the new MPV for India. Inversely, the new MPV for India could go on to become a new generation of the Stargazer for global markets.

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The second route could be a dive into the slightly higher premium segment with an all-new rival to the likes of the Innova Hycross to target a more premium customer base. Hyundai’s global line-up currently lacks a model in this segment, with the brand’s second MPV, the Staria, being notably larger.

New Off-Road Ready SUV

Moving focus to the off-road-ready SUV, Hyundai could look to entice buyers in the five-door lifestyle market as an alternative to the Mahindra Thar Roxx and the Maruti Suzuki Jimny. It remains to be seen whether Hyundai will follow the ladder frame route, given the company's current lack of a body-on-frame SUV in both India and global markets.

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A more viable route is likely to engineer an existing monocoque platform to fit the mould with the Creta/Seltos platform currently supporting all-wheel drive drivetrains in global markets. The new SUV could get the butch, boxy and upright proportions to appeal to buyers while packing in all the latest tech and features typical of new Hyundai offerings. Powertrains could also be shared with platform stablemates, with the availability of AWD ensuring that the SUV will have some off-road capabilities.

Proposed Timeline

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Hyundai has not given any set timeline for the new models, though we could expect the first of these to arrive as early as FY2027-FY2028. Hyundai has confirmed that two all-new nameplates are set to arrive in the upcoming financial year, with a further five set to arrive by FY2030.