At its 2026 CEO Investor Day, Hyundai revealed plans to debut its made-in-India compact electrical SUV by March 2027. Nonetheless, Tarun Garg, Managing Director and CEO of Hyundai Motor India, in an interplay with our sister publication Autocar Skilled, confirmed the EV will debut sooner than that, by the tip of 2026. Garg additionally stated that the EV will initially use battery cells from Svolt, earlier than transferring to its unique plan to supply them from Exide.
- To be constructed on the E-GMP (Okay) platform that underpins the Inster EV
- Will rival the Tata Nexon EV, Mahindra XUV 3XO EV and Kia Syros EV
Hyundai has additionally revealed it expects EVs to account for greater than 7 p.c of its home gross sales inside the subsequent yr. In FY26 (April 2025 to March 2026), EVs accounted for a 1 p.c share of whole Hyundai gross sales within the nation, a determine just like FY25 (April 2024 to March 2025).
Upcoming Hyundai compact EV: Extra particulars
Svolt to produce battery cells initially, after Exide flagged manufacturing delays earlier
The upcoming compact EV will initially use Svolt battery cells. “We’re already prepared with the brand new EV utilizing Svolt cells. In any other case, the programme might have been delayed, and we didn’t wish to delay the automobile,” Garg stated to Autocar Skilled. Nonetheless, Hyundai subsequently plans to supply domestically produced cells by means of its affiliation with Exide, as was initially deliberate. Notably, Exide revealed in August 2026 that battery manufacturing is delayed and that they might not have the ability to provide elements by FY27 (by March 2027).
Will probably be underpinned by the Inster’s E-GMP (Okay) platform
The upcoming compact EV, codenamed HE1i, will probably be underpinned by the E-GMP (Okay) platform, additionally utilized by the internationally accessible Inster EV. It will likely be provided in two variations: customary vary and lengthy vary, however actual specs are underneath wraps. For context, the Inster EV can be accessible in customary and long-range variations, with 42kWh and 45kWh batteries, respectively, providing a WLTP-claimed vary of as much as 355km.
Hyundai has additionally confirmed that the brand new compact EV will get a ‘next-generation infotainment system’, which may very well be the Pleos Join infotainment system seen on a number of new-age Hyundai fashions now, and a ‘Stage 2 assisted driving expertise’. It will likely be manufactured at Hyundai’s Sriperumbudur facility in Tamil Nadu. Upon launch, it’s going to lock horns with the Tata Nexon EV, Mahindra XUV 3XO EV and Kia Syros EV.
With inputs from Ketan Thakkar and Hormazd Sorabjee