Hyundai To Introduce New Hybrid SUV As Premium Alternative To Alcazar
The mid-size C-segment SUV space has gained widespread popularity in the last decade, so much that there are multiple segments within this segment. Hyundai has three offerings in this space namely Creta, Alcazar, and Tucson. And it now seems the Korean carmaker is planning to add a fourth model to this list. When launched, the new Hyundai Ni1i hybrid SUV will be a premium alternative to the Alcazar.
Hyundai is preparing to introduce a new SUV which will be slotted in between the Alcazar and Tucson. Codenamed Hyundai Ni1i, this SUV is expected to go on factory floors in the next 24-30 months. Speaking of which, this new SUV will be built by Hyundai at its Talegaon-based manufacturing facility in the outskirts of Pune.
For the uninitiated, Hyundai acquired the Talegaon manufacturing plant from General Motors earlier in January this year. The Korean auto giant is slated to invest around Rs 6,000 crore over the next decade for the purpose of upgrading the existing infrastructure and manufacturing equipment at this facility.
Coming back to the SUV, the new model will be the first hybrid car from Hyundai for the Indian market. With the recent slowdown of EV sales in the global market and hybrids becoming more popular in India, Hyundai aims to cash in on this trend. There aren’t many details about this SUV available yet it is expected to be slightly longer than the Tucson, which measures 4,630mm in length.
In fact, the report says that the upcoming hybrid SUV could be based on the Tucson long wheelbase sold in China which measures 4,680mmm in length. Moreover, this new SUV will come with a three-row seating layout. While Hyundai offers the Alcazar as its only three-row model in India, its third-row seat isn’t as spacious as Mahindra XUV700 or Tata Safari which measure 4,695mm, and 4,668mm long, respectively.
As far as powertrain is concerned, we know that the upcoming Ni1i SUV will use a petrol-hybrid power source but the details of this unit are still under wraps. Internationally, Hyundai offers a 1.6-litre petrol engine with a hybrid engine for the Tucson and this unit seems a perfect choice for the upcoming Ni1i SUV. The other option is plonking a hybrid setup to the exciting 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine available in Creta.
The report further mentions that Hyundai plans to manufacture 50,000 units of this forthcoming SUV annually, although the share of the hybrid powertrain is yet to be determined. This would mean that by the end of this decade, Hyundai will be offering as many as half a dozen powertrain options in India including petrol, diesel, CNG, ethanol, electric, and hybrid.
