Looks like Hyundai is looking to launch the Creta EV in India. Hyundai already has the Kona EV and the recently launched Ioniq 5 EV on sale in India. But both of them are priced in the premium segment. So a Creta EV could appeal more to the mass market segment.
While both the test cars were sans camouflage, we can notice the floor is lower than the normal Creta. This could be used to mount the batteries. The Tata Nexon has a similar arrangement and it is currently the leading EV in India by sales numbers.
The Hyundai Creta has been designed from the ground-up as an ICE car. Hence swapping the powertrain to electric is not very simple. However, Hyundai would save development costs if it had to design a new electric vehicle from scratch. This will allow the Korean carmaker to use the existing facilities and assembly lines for the Creta in its EV-guise.
While more details are not yet known, we can speculate that the powertrain could be borrowed from the Kona EV. In the Kona, there is a 100 kW PMSM electric motor that has a rated peak output of 395 Nm. The Kona gets a 39.2 kWh battery pack which gives it an ARAI-rated range of 400 km.
Hyundai can use this battery and motor in the Creta EV as well. There will have to be some other modifications like better aero bits, low-rolling resistance tyres and more.
Hyundai is looking at the 2025 Auto Expo for a global debut of this SUV. Another coincidence is that Martui’s YY8 electric SUV is also looking at a 2025 launch timeline. So both the rivals are looking to enter into the EV SUV segment at similar times.
Coming to the pricing, the SUV will sit in the INR 20-30 lakh price bracket.
Also Read – Hyundai sold 15,037 Creta SUVs in a month, highest ever.