The Hyundai Casper in its South Korean version. ©Hyundai Motor Company
Many manufacturers have the ambition to offer electric cars for less than €25,000 excluding bonuses, or even less than €20,000 for some. Dacia has already done this with its Spring, but due to its production in China, it is no longer eligible for the ecological bonus. The little Romanian with Chinese origins should therefore leave room for new players, such as the Citroën ë-C3 and the future Renault 5 E-Tech electric.
Hyundai had remained rather discreet about its desire to market an affordable electric car, but it was likely that the South Korean manufacturer also wanted its share of the pie. It is now official since Lionel French Keogh, the president of Hyundai France, announced it during a back-to-school press conference.
An electric version of the Hyundai Casper
More precisely, it is the Casper SUV, marketed in South Korea since 2021, which will be launched in Europe. On its domestic market, it is only offered in a gasoline version, but it will be sold here exclusively in an electric version.
The interior of the Hyundai Casper in its South Korean version. ©Hyundai Motor Company
We do not yet know to what extent the little Casper will evolve for its European marketing, beyond its transition to electric. The South Korean version of the model displays a very original style, which may recall that of the Suzuki Ignis. Like it, the Casper is one of the rare crossovers of a segment A size, with its only 3.60 m long.
A prototype of the European version of the Hyundai Casper, seen by Korean Car Blog. © Korean Car Blog LLC
The launch of the European version of the Casper, which should adopt a different name (Ioniq 1?), is planned for the end of 2024. We do not yet know its technical sheet or its price. To be competitive, against the Citroën ë-C3 for example, it will have to manage to sell at a starting price of around €20,000 bonus deducted, if applicable.
Lionel French Keogh seems confident about the possibility of this new model to access the French ecological bonus, which will soon increase to an amount of €4,000. It is not yet known whether its production will be repatriated to Europe, or if it will still be assembled in its country of origin. Currently, electric Hyundais and Kias produced in South Korea are not eligible for the bonus. However, this new model should be equipped with a small battery and could therefore reduce its carbon footprint, perhaps enough to attract the French authorities. The Mazda MX-30, assembled in Japan, is currently the only electric model produced outside the EU to be eligible for the ecological bonus in France. Its small 35.5 kWh battery is certainly no stranger to this.