Hyundai Motor said it would begin production of its Casper/Inster Electric new entry level battery electric vehicle (BEV) later this month at a plant in the southwestern city of Gwangju.
The automaker said it aimed to produce 21,400 of its new mini SUV by the end of the year at Gwangju Global Motors (GGM), a joint venture with Gwangju city.
The factory already produces internal combustion engine (ICE) versions of the Casper, with 130,000 units produced since the plant became operational in 2021, and began test production of the Casper Electric in February.
Commercial production of the Electric, which was officially unveiled at the 2024 Busan International Motor Show in South Korea at the end of last month, was scheduled to begin on 15 July.
The Electric has a longer body and wheelbase compared with the ICE Casper to accommodate the battery pack, providing more interior space. It also incorporates design features more in tune with the company’s other BEVs such as the Ioniq 5. It will be sold as the Inster in overseas markets including Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific.
The Casper is equipped with 42 kWh battery packs as standard, providing a range of 315km while the Inster will also be available with a long range 49 kWh battery pack providing a range of 355km.
The standard models are powered by a single 71.1kW (97PS) motor while the long range models have an 84.5kW (115PS) motor.
All models can be recharged from 10% to 80% in 30 minutes.
