Hyundai to launch Bayon-based midsize SUV this festive season

Hyundai India MD and CEO Tarun Garg has confirmed in the company’s Q1 FY27 earnings call that the brand will launch a new midsize SUV during the festive season. Following this, it will also bring a new compact electric SUV within this fiscal year.

1. New midsize SUV likely to offer an underbody-mounted CNG kit
2. Compact electric SUV to sit on a new architecture and utilise Exide batteries

New Hyundai midsize SUV: What do we know so far?

To sit below the Creta and likely offer petrol and CNG powertrains

Before the next-generation Creta debuts in 2027, Hyundai will introduce another product in the midsize SUV space during the festive season to strengthen its presence. This SUV (codename: Bc4i) will utilise the platform from the Bayon crossover sold abroad and measure around 4.18 metres in length, suggesting that it would be positioned below the Creta.

Heavily camouflaged mules of this midsize SUV have been spied abroad and on our roads, giving a glimpse of what it could look like. Prototypes were spotted with a crossover-esque design, roof rails, dual-tone alloys, a split-lamp design, rising windowline and all-wheel disc brakes. While the interior has not been spied yet, Hyundai is likely to load it up with features and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

The model will be powered by a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine, our sources indicate. This engine already powers the Creta and can be paired with a manual or a CVT gearbox. Additionally, Hyundai is expected to offer the option of a CNG kit with this engine, making it the first CNG-powered model above 4 metres in its line-up. The kit would be fitted to its underbody, much like in the Maruti Victoris, but unlike the Maruti, this Hyundai SUV is expected to get a spare wheel.

With a second contender in the midsize SUV segment, Hyundai is taking an approach similar to Maruti Suzuki, which has the Victoris and Grand Vitara in this space. While this SUV will come with economical powertrains and occupy the lower rung, the new-gen Creta sitting above it will come with wider powertrain options, including a hybrid. 

New Hyundai compact electric SUV: What to expect?

Expected to rival the likes of the Kia Syros EV, Tata Nexon EV and Mahindra XUV 3XO EV

Following the midsize SUVs’ launch, Hyundai will also introduce a challenger in the growing compact electric SUV space. The arrival of this SUV was first announced in 2025, when the carmaker stated that it would be localised and “designed, engineered and built in India for Indian customers”.

During the earnings call, the brand confirmed that the EV would be built on a new architecture rather than being an EV counterpart of the Venue. Codenamed HE1i, it is expected to sit on the E-GMP (K) platform, which is also utilised by the Inster sold abroad. It will be produced at the carmaker’s Sriperumbudur facility in Tamil Nadu and use localised batteries from Exide. The eSUV will be offered in standard range and long range versions. While specifications are yet to be confirmed for this model, for reference, the Euro-spec Inster is offered with 42kWh (standard range) and 49kWh (long range) battery packs with WLTP range figures of 300km and 355km, respectively.

With inputs from Mugdha Mishra