[BIMOS 2024] Hyundai Motor premieres Casper Electric

BUSAN -- Hyundai Motor debuted the Casper Electric, the Korean automaker’s newest small all-electric sports utility vehicle, at the 2024 Busan International Mobility Show held at Bexco on Thursday.

Hyundai Motor underscored that the Casper Electric is expected to lay out new standards to lead the popularization of EVs, with its unique marketability and affordable price.

Equipped with a 49-kilowatt-hour nickel, cobalt and manganese -- or NCM -- battery, the EV boasts 315 kilometers of driving range per full charge. According to Hyundai Motor, the Casper Electric’s battery can be charged from 10 percent to 80 percent in 30 minutes by using a 120 kW-class charger.

Hyundai Motor said it will offer opportunities for visitors to ride the Casper Electric with an instructor taking them for a test ride on the indoor track at the BIMO, which will run through July 7.

The automaker plans to begin taking pre-orders for the new EV in July for domestic customers. Although the official pricing has not been disclosed, the Casper Electric is expected to go on sale at prices between 20 million won ($14,400) and 30 million won. A Hyundai Motor official said the Casper Electric is expected to hit the global market, including Europe and Japan, next year.

The new EV is measured at 3,825 millimeters in length, 1,610 mm in width and 1,575 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,580 mm. Compared to the existing model powered by an internal combustion engine, the Casper Electric’s length is 230 mm longer and 15 mm wider.

Reaffirming its vision to create a sustainable future, Hyundai Motor chose "Beyond Everyday" as the them of this year’s exhibition. Korea’s biggest auto brand by sales volume showcased an array of ecofriendly vehicles and flying mobility such as the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, Kona Electric, ST1, Xcient and S-A2, the electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle’s concept product, which was unveiled at CES 2024 in Las Vegas in January this year.

Hyundai Motor also again put emphasis on accelerating the transition to a hydrogen society, a goal it laid out at CES earlier this year, presenting the company’s future vision for creating a start-to-finish hydrogen business solution named HTWO Grid.

“We hope to share the new daily life and sustainable future that Hyundai Motor Company is picturing,” said Chung Yoo-seok, executive vice president of Hyundai Motor Company’s Korea Business Division.

“Under the brand’s vision, ‘Progress for Humanity,’ we will put effort into making human life more prosperous by continuing to invest towards clean mobility," Chung said.

Genesis, Hyundai Motor's luxury auto brand, on Thursday presented the Genesis X Gran Racer Vision Gran Turismo Concept, for the first time in the world at the auto exhibition. In doing so, the brand introduced its direction towards high-performance cars with the Genesis Magma program, which combines cutting-edge technology with sporty design to craft unique vehicles.

Alongside the new high-performance concept sports car, Genesis displayed the brand’s first full-size electric sports utility vehicle, the Neolun, which previously made its debut at Genesis House New York in March.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun and Hyundai Motor Company CEO Chang Jae-hoon visited the event venue later in the day after attending a donation ceremony for Hyundai's hydrogen-powered bus on Jeju Island.

Chung visited only the three booths of Hyundai Motor, Kia and Genesis but also other participants' exhibitions, including those of BMW Group Korea, Renault Korea and Kumyang, a Korean battery maker.

CEO Chang told reporters that the company's Indian office is eyeing an initial public offering on a bourse there by October, reaffirming the automaker's willingness to expand its presence in India.