2020 Hyundai Creta spied in India - here's what we expect

Hyundai’s flagship compact SUV the Creta was recently spotted in an all-new avatar. The next-gen Creta will be based on the China-spec iX25 which was unveiled at the 2019 Auto Shanghai show.

The Korean automobile manufacturer has redesigned many elements of the Creta to align it with the company’s latest Sensuous 2.0 design language. It now gets new split headlamps with a prominent cascading grille. Its test mule was also spotted with 10-spoke alloy wheels and though the car was under heavy camouflage, it is expected to get split rear tail lamps like the iX25.

The new-gen Creta’s interiors are still under wraps, but if it borrows some elements from the iX25, it could get Hyundai’s BlueLink connected car technology phone app connectivity, climate control, cruise control, sunroof, in-built navigation, a multi-info display and an electric parking brake with auto-hold function.

The car could also be equipped with six airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability program and traction control, along with front and rear parking sensors for safety.

Due to the upcoming BSVI emission norms, Hyundai could drop the current engine options available in the Creta. It could instead opt for the 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engine options which power the upcoming Kia Seltos. The petrol engine makes 115PS of maximum power and 144Nm of peak torque and the diesel motor pumps out 115PS and 250Nm. Both engines could be mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard. The petrol engine is expected to get a CVT gearbox as an option, while the diesel motor could be offered with a 6-speed torque converter.

Hyundai is expected to launch the Creta in India by mid-2020 and could price it higher than the current-gen Creta. It is expected to fit between the price bracket of Rs 9.6 – 15.65 lakh (Ex-showroom) and will be pitted against the MG Hector, Honda WR-V and the upcoming Kia Seltos, among others.