The Korean carmaker Hyundai Motors is working on a micro-SUV that will rival the Mahindra KUV100 NXT, Maruti Suzuki Ignis & the upcoming Tata HBX, which is expected to hit the Indian markets by mid-2020. The brand has codenamed it as 'AX1', and it will be positioned below the Venue in Hyundai's current product line-up.
Hyundai AX1 Micro-SUV: How will it look?
Hyundai's micro-SUV has been spied on several times during testing and has revealed a few design details. Upfront, it features a split headlamp setup & a large grille that seems to take inspiration from the Hyundai Venue sub-4m SUV. And we must say that the brand has done a good job to make it look like a small sport utility vehicle thanks to its upright stance, high ground clearance, chunky wheel arches, and boxy silhouette.
The spy images have also revealed its alloy wheel design that looks funky and complements the overall layout of the car quite well. The size of the alloy wheels could be 16-inches.
The interior of the car hasn't been spied yet, but we expect it to come loaded with features such as a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, auto climate control, rear AC vents, multi-function steering wheel, keyless entry, engine start/stop button, wireless phone charger, multiple airbags, ABS with EBD, and rear parking sensors & camera, etc.
Hyundai AX1 Micro-SUV: Engine & Gearbox
Hyundai hasn't revealed any technical details of the car yet. But it could share its powertrain with Hyundai Grand i10 Nios, which comes with 1.2-litre petrol, 1.2-litre diesel, and a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine choices. Transmission options are also likely to be the same as Nios & Aura. However, instead of the AMT gearbox, the brand could offer a clutchless manual gearbox (iMT).
Hyundai AX1 Micro-SUV: Expected Launch Date
Hyundai AX1's launch timeline is still under the wraps. But we believe that Hyundai could launch this micro-SUV sometime in 2021.