All-new Hyundai Creta to debut at 2020 Auto Expo, to borrow e-SIM from Venue

The all-new Hyundai Creta, which was showcased as the 2nd generation iX25 in China recently, will be unveiled for the Indian Auto Expo early next year, at the 2020 Auto Expo. What’s more, the new Creta will be Hyundai’s second connected SUV after the Venue. The 2020 Hyundai Creta will borrow the e-SIM technology that’s offered on the top-end Venue. The 2020 Creta is expected to get a major design makeover, and will meet new emission norms under the Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) regime according to ETAuto.

Major mechanical changes to the petrol and diesel engines are also in order. Hyundai could launch the new Creta with a three row, 7 seat layout, which means that the India-spec model could be longer than the Chinese version. The additional row of seats could push prices of the new Creta higher, making it sit right in the XUV500 territory. For now, the present Creta’s price range is lower than that of the Mahindra XUV500.

The Creta has been Hyundai’s best selling SUV for years and India’s best selling 4 meter+ SUV. To ensure that the SUV retains its competitive edge over rivals, Hyundai is likely to stuff it with new features, many of which could be first offered on the Kia Seltos, which is a Creta-based SUV set to be launched later this year. The new Creta could sit alongside the Seltos in terms of price and positioning, but the current version will be cheaper.

The new Creta will also borrow the 1.5 liter petrol and turbocharged diesel engines from the Seltos. These BS6 compliant engines will make their debut on the Seltos before being offered on Hyundai cars sold in India, such as the new Creta and Hyundai Verna. The Creta is likely to be offered with 6 speed manual and torque converter automatic gearboxes in the 2nd generation version as well.

Other key details about the new Creta that have been revealed through the 2nd generation Chinese-spec iX25 is that the styling will get a massive revision at the front and rear. The headlamps are likely to move to the bumpers, in keeping with the latest trend across SUVs from multiple manufacturers, and LED DRLs will sit in the conventional place of headlamps. The new Creta is expected to be more spacious than the current version and interior quality is expected to go up by a few notches. The SUV will retain a monocoque body and a front wheel drive layout.