2024 Hyundai Inster revealed in full
Pint-size electric crossover will be Hyundai Australia’s cheapest EV, but not before 2025Full details and images of the 2024 Hyundai Inster – Hyundai Australia’s long-awaited entry-level EV – have been released.
Based on the Korea-only Hyundai Casper, the pint-size battery-electric SUV has debuted in Europe with a targeted starting price of below €25,000 plus on-road costs – the equivalent of about $A40,000.
That should put the Inster on par with some of Australia’s cheapest EVs, including models like the MG4 (from $39,990 drive-away) and BYD Dolphin ($38,890 plus ORCs), but perhaps not with the GWM Ora (from $35,990 drive-away), although those electric hatchbacks are bigger dimensionally.
The Hyundai Inster measures just 3825mm long, 1610mm wide, 1575mm tall and rides on a 2580mm wheelbase, making it 230mm longer than the Casper, most of which (180mm) can be found between the axles.
The extra length pairs with IONIQ-inspired pixel lighting and an enclosed front grille to give the Inster its own unique identity, alongside its zero-emissions powertrain – hence it being given its own nameplate.
According to Hyundai, the ‘Inster’ name stands for ‘intimate and innovative’ and the car has been designed to “celebrate its audience’s love for seamless social interactions and connectivity”.
When asked why the Inster wasn’t dubbed the IONIQ 1, Hyundai Motor Europe product and pricing director Raf van Nuffel said the IONIQ label was reserved for dedicated EVs as opposed to models also available with internal combustion engines.
“When it’s a derivative platform that we share with ICE powertrains, we still have dedicated names,” he said.
“This is the case for Kona Electric… and now the same logic applies for Inster.”
Whatever the connotations of its nameplate may be, the Inster will easily be the Korean brand’s most affordable EV to date and will be offered globally in two main versions.
The entry-level Standard features a 42kWh nickel-cobalt-manganese battery and a 71kW/147Nm electric motor mounted on the front axle, offering about 300km from a single charge, a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 11.7 seconds and a top speed of 140km/h.
The Long Range ups the ante with a 49kWh battery and a more powerful 85kW/147Nm motor that boosts the range up to 355km, trims the 0-100km/h time down to 10.7sec and lifts the top speed to 150km/h.
Both powerpacks can be recharged at up to 120kW when using DC power and will go from 10-80 per cent in a claimed 30 minutes under ideal conditions, whereas it will take up to four hours and 35 minutes to deliver a full charge from empty using the 11kW AC onboard charger.
While it’s officially classed as an A-segment vehicle dimensionally, Hyundai executives claim the Inster offers B-segment levels of interior space with a 351-litre boot and seats that both fold flat and slide, including the driver’s seat.
An innovative front bench seat will even be offered in some markets, emphasising the walk-through nature of the cabin’s front-row design.
The extended wheelbase means the Inster offers considerably more legroom than the Casper and, in turn, a longer load space when the front and rear row of seats are stowed.
Drivers are greeted by a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a pixel-themed multifunction steering wheel and a 10.25-inch infotainment interface that sits above a wireless phone charging pad, the latter accounting for a fair portion of the centre console.
The cabin itself features recycled PET and bio-polypropylene materials extracted from sugarcane, and interior colours will comprise traditional black as well as a two-tone Khaki Brown and Newtro Beige.
Cloth upholstery and vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging functionality features across the board, as does forward collision avoidance, lane keeping and following assistants, blind-spot collision-avoidance, rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance, safety exit warning, smart cruise control, highway driving assist, intelligent speed limiter, driver attention warning, high-beam assist, leading vehicle departure alert and rear occupant alert.
Exterior paint colours will include Atlas White, Tomboy Khaki, Bijarim Khaki Matte, Unbleached Ivory, Sienna Orange Metallic, Aero Silver Matte, Dusk Blue Matte, Buttercream Yellow Pearl, and Abyss Black Pearl, the latter of which sources its pigment from recycled tyres.
Speaking with global media ahead of the Inster’s reveal, Hyundai Motor Europe marketing, product and public relations vice-president Andreas-Christoph Hofmann said the new budget-friendly EV would have a couple of key advantages over its many upcoming rivals.
“There are a lot of competitors coming,” he said.
“I think one big advantage we have is that we are in time – this car can be bought already this year, which is a big advantage.
“The dimensions, the versatility and all the ADAS functions, for example, we can offer, which might be not available on existing cars and future cars, and we have a quite strong brand, not to mention… an extraordinary design.
“I think we have some good assets that we can compete against others which are already existing, and which will come in the future.”
The Inster will be produced alongside the Casper exclusively in Korea, where it will go on sale in the coming months before being released in Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific in that order later this year.
Australian launch timing and details are yet to be confirmed, but carsales understands the Hyundai Inster will arrive here in early 2025, after the opening of pre-orders in late 2024.
Related: 2024 Hyundai Inster could become Australia’s cheapest electric SUV
Related: Hyundai distances itself from EV price war
Related: Mild-hybrid 2024 Hyundai i30 hatch confirmed for Oz
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