Hyundai is working on its all-new electric SUV, the He1i, for the Indian market. The EV has been spotted testing on our roads multiple times, and we also have reports surfacing online suggesting that the upcoming EV is likely to be launched by December this year. It looks like Hyundai is currently conducting the final set of road tests with almost production-ready test mules. We have come across a new set of images where we see the Hyundai He1i EV on the road and also get a glimpse of the cabin.
The images have been shared by Rushlane on its website. In these images, we see the front end of the upcoming EV with the LED hazard lamps turned on. The EV will get a split headlamp setup, and we also see a lower air dam and front parking sensors on the test mule.
The EV comes with a boxy exterior design and an upright-looking front end. The EV will come with large windows and all-new alloy wheels. We also see roof rails and sleek-looking LED tail lamps at the rear. It remains to be seen whether Hyundai will go for a Syros-inspired split tail lamp design for the EV or not.
The spy pictures also give us a glimpse of the cabin of the EV. We see a sleek-looking driver display on the dashboard. This looks similar to the Pleos Connect system that we are expected to see in the upcoming Creta. The system consists of a large infotainment system and a smaller driver display. The touchscreen infotainment system in the spy picture is covered, but we get a good look at the driver display here.
What makes the Hyundai He1i special is that it is a born-electric SUV being completely developed in and for India. The Hyundai A-SUV will be based on the E-GMP (K) born-electric car platform, which means Hyundai won’t face any major difficulties in packaging the battery pack. As this is a heavily localised electric vehicle developed specifically for India, Hyundai will also be able to price it competitively.
Like most Hyundai cars in the market, the upcoming He1i will be loaded with premium features such as a large touchscreen infotainment system, an electric sunroof, leatherette upholstery, ventilated seats, automatic climate control, the new Morse Code Hyundai steering wheel, ADAS features, a premium speaker system, and more. Hyundai might design the EV in such a way that the cabin feels extremely spacious for an EV that measures under four metres.
The electric SUV will compete against the likes of the Kia Syros EV and Tata Punch EV in the segment. The electric SUV is expected to be offered with a 42 kWh battery pack in the lower trims and a 51.4 kWh battery pack in the higher trims. The smaller battery pack is expected to offer a claimed driving range of 440 km, while the higher variants could have a claimed range of 526 km. The Hyundai He1i EV is expected to be launched at a price below Rs 10 lakh to keep up with the competition.