Hyundai may soon start producing a couple of compact and wallet-friendly electric cars for the European market, insiders have told Carscoops. Both are expected to be smaller and cheaper than the Ioniq 5 featured in the gallery here.
The reports claim that the company plans on launching an urban hatchback comparable to the current i10 in terms of size, which would provide a sensible alternative to ICE cars. The other model will allegedly be a compact SUV like the Hyundai Casper, which was warmly received by the buyers in general.
In all likelihood, both models will occupy their own niches in the Hyundai EV lineup. Even if they make it inside the manufacturer’s Ioniq range of vehicles, neither will be based on the E-GMP platform, because it is meant exclusively for larger cars.
As such, the general expectation is that the manufacturer will reuse the existing K1 platform already used by the Hyundai i10 and the Kia Picanto. Doing so would enable it to implement some new, formerly unavailable services that customers in Europe may be interested in, the insider believes.
As for the appearance, both compacts may look like their larger Ioniq cousins with ‘pixelated’ LED lights all around and stylish faux grilles. One of these new models is expected to arrive in mid-2023, and the other one is set to follow in late 2024.