Remember when the all-new Hyundai Casper came out? If you follow this website regularly, then we reckon you do. It got many of our readers clicking, and it wasn’t a surprise at all. The Casper’s small, quirky, and practical—it just ticks all the right boxes for a Filipino car buyer.
But what if we told you there was an electric version of the Casper? Hyundai teased this one just a few weeks ago, and now it’s been fully unveiled at the 2024 Busan International Mobility Show. And as we all expected, it looks darn good.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
First drive: Does the Ford Bronco live up to the legend?
The MG HS is looking sharp for its next generation
Up front, the Inster boasts a similar front fascia as the Casper. There’s the black plastic trim enclosing what appear to be the headlamps, and round DRLs flank the grille. There’s a silver skid plate underneath to add ruggedness to the look. There are plenty of color options available, all of which come with a two-tone option with a black roof.
Inside, the Inster gets a pair of 10.25-inch displays highlighting the cabin. The center console below the head unit houses all the controls and knobs, and not only does it look good, but it also looks very easy to use. There also seems to be a large storage cubby on the dash in front of the passenger seat.
Hyundai calls this one a subcompact EV, and it’s actually a bit bigger than the petrol-powered Casper that it takes inspiration from. It’s sized between an A-segment car and a B-segment sedan, so it’s smaller than a Honda City but bigger than a Toyota Wigo. The expanded dimensions allow the Inster to have more legroom and cabin space as well as a bigger trunk out back.
As for its powertrain, the Inster comes standard with a 42kWh battery with an option to upgrade to a 49kWh pack. There’s a single motor propelling the EV, and in the standard variant it does 95hp while in the higher Long Range trim it churns out 113.4hp. It comes equipped with a bunch of safety features
Maximum range for this one is listed at 300km for the Standard Range and 355km for the Long Range. Top speed is at 140kph for the Standard and 150kph for higher trim. Charging time is about 4 hours with a standard AC charger, and with a fast charger it can get from 10% to 80% in just half an hour.
So, seeing as Hyundai’s other EVs have already made its way to our market, do you think the Korean carmaker should consider bringing the new Inster here, too?
