Hyundai Inster News

Hyundai Australia has reached into the depths of its financial pockets to reduce the price of selected models across its portfolio of pure-electric models by between seven and 38 per cent.In place for the fourth quarter of this year, the new drive-away prices apply nationally to specific versions of the Kona Electric small SUV, Ioniq 5 medium SUV, Inster city hatch and Ioniq 6 sedan.The catalyst for the clean out is shifting cars currently on the ground in Australia, including stocks of 2023 model year examples of certain models, while new orders are also included on others.A single Kona Electric model, the Standard Range, has been reduced by 15 per cent, the Ioniq 5 Standard Range is down 13 per cent and three versions of the Inster light hatch have been discounted by between seven and eight per cent.For all of the above, offers apply to existing stock or new orders delivered before December 31, 2025 with no restriction on model year.But the jaw-dropping repositioning is reserved for 2023 model year examples of the Ioniq 6 sedan, reduced by between 35 and a whopping 38 per cent. Specifically, 115 cars celebrating their second birthday in stock in Australia.The entry-level Ioniq 6 Dynamic is a single-motor, rear-wheel drive sedan with 168kW/350Nm, a 77.4kWh lithium-ion battery and a 614km WLTP range. The MY23 version's price has been reduced by more than $27,000 to $49,990, drive-away.The mid-grade Techniq is a dual-motor, all-wheel drive which ups power to 239kW/605Nm while range from the same 77.4kWh battery is limited to 519km. The ask here is $54,990, drive-away, which is a 38 per cent reduction on the standard D/A price.Then the flagship Epiq adds a higher standard specification to the dual-motor powertrain with no less than $34K lopped off the D/A pricing for a MY23 example. Asked whether the reductions may continue into the new year a Hyundai Australia spokesperson told CarsGuide there are “no plans to continue into 2026 at this stage”.

Kia is frantically working on a pair of small electric vehicles (EVs) that could reshape the bottom end of the new-car market by bringing near-price parity with internal combustion engine alternatives. The big news is that both the EV2 small crossover expected to debut sometime next year and its EV1 city-car sibling due a little later on are under serious consideration for Australia. This is despite being readied for production out of Slovakia, due to EV tax concessions as well as vast economies of scale that should help contain prices if or when they land here.

Australia’s independent crash testing authority, ANCAP, has just detailed its latest dump of safety ratings.

Geely is contemplating adding the Geome supermini/crossover electric vehicle to take on the BYD Dolphin and Hyundai Inster EVs in Australia, as well hybrids like the Toyota Yaris Cross and Subaru Crosstrek. If given the go-ahead, the keenly-priced, Kia Stonic-sized five-door Geome could land here with a mid-to-high $20,000 price tag, which could make it Australia’s cheapest new EV yet.

What price do you put on style? If you’re Hyundai, it’s $39,000 (plus on-road costs), which is the starting price of its all-new Inster compact electric vehicle.But while that makes it more expensive than its direct competitors, Hyundai’s global design boss has said that’s a cost the company must pay.SangYup Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of Hyundai and Genesis Global Design Centre, explained that while the brand could have decided to make the Inster cheaper, the priority was to create a lasting first impression to the Hyundai brand for new buyers it hopes to attract.“ This is our challenge,” Lee told CarsGuide. “But at the same time, when it comes to EV of the Year, Inster, that is the gateway car for first-time users, and a lot of young Gen Z players buying this car. So for me, the entry-level car, the first car is so important because a gateway for our product. So we just want to make sure it has a lot of character.”He said the recently revealed Insteroid concept car is an extension of this design philosophy, playing with the idea of fun and youthful design that will try to speak to a new generation of customers - rather than making the cheapest, most-affordable model possible - even if it means standing out from other models in the Hyundai line-up.“Sometimes when you look at it, you have a smile on your face. And then you see in the Insteroid that is our video game car, it's all about ,” Lee explained.“When you look at it, you have a smile on your face. So you don't have to have exactly the same face as Palisade to the Inster. So this is all about, we have to really target our customers. And at the end of it, I must say there's nothing wrong with what other brands do versus what we are doing and the customer will make a decision.  I really believe this is the customer’s decision.”With its $39,000 starting price the Inster is notably more expensive than its nearest rivals, which all happen to be from relatively new Chinese car brands. The BYD Dolphin starts at $29,990 (plus on-road costs), the GWM Ora costs $35,990 drive-away and the MG4 is priced from $37,990 (plus on-road costs).Despite the cheaper prices, Lee has nothing but compliments for his Chinese rivals, but stressed Hyundai has different priorities as a more established carmaker, particularly when it comes to longevity of design and vehicle reliability.“I have a huge respect for Chinese brands because in such a short amount of time, they challenge a lot,” the Hyundai design boss said. “But we are a traditional OEM and we also are taking care of our customers on the fundamental side of it, most important safety."I mean, of course you love to have karaoke inside of a car and everything together, but a car is a form of transportation. You travel with your family, the safety is something you cannot compromise and therefore the usability and all the things, et cetera. And then we are actually adding the value. For the high techs and also connected and everything together. And so this is actually a bit of the priority difference, I would say.“But once again, that’s okay, this is our philosophy, which we believe is a very important philosophy, a customer able to choose at the end of it. Because for me, a brand-new car is cool, but cars on the street are even more important because I see the value of the car when the car has been out there at least five years and parked on the street."Is the car still stable? Is the car still easy to use and doesn't get dated soon? I think those are the very important factors when you design a car.”Fresh from claiming the title of EV of the Year at the World Car of the Year Awards, the Inster is due to launch in Australia by the middle of the year.

Hyundai has detailed pricing and specifications for the Inster small electric SUV, as order books officially open around the country.Starting at $39,000 before on-road costs, the Inster is more expensive than Chinese rivals such as the GWM Ora ($35,990 drive-away), MG MG4 ($37,990 before on-road costs) and BYD Dolphin ($29,990 before on-road costs), though it does carry an array of standard equipment in return.At just 3825mm long, 1610mm wide and 1575mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2580mm, the Inster is at least 400mm shorter than its nearest rival, the Ora. That said, it is slightly taller than the MG4 and Dolphin, while it's longer between the wheels than all three.The Inster will arrive in three trims: the entry-level Standard Range, the mid-spec Extended Range and the top-of-the-line Inster Cross.Two battery options will be made available. On the Standard Range that includes a 42kWh lithium-nickle-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery that offers 327km of driving range. Power and torque, meanwhile, are claimed at 71kW/147Nm, with power being sent to the front wheels through a single electric motor mounted to the front axle.A range-wide 120kW DC fast charging capability sees the Inster’s battery replenished from 10 to 80 per cent in 30 minutes, while an AC charge rate of 10.5kW sees a full charge take up to four hours and 35 minutes.The Standard Range will carry 15-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and daytime running lights, rain-sensing wipers, a glossy black radiator grille, silver skid plates on the front and rear and tinted glass across the car.Inside, there is a standard four-seat configuration with a driver’s bench seat. It has six-way manual adjustments and recycled cloth upholstery, while the rear seats can be folded into a 50:50 split.Additionally, there are twin 10.25-inch displays for multimedia and driver’s display functions, single-zone climate control with a heat pump, a three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel with paddle shifters for regenerative braking, wireless charging, push-button start and vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability.For an additional $3500 and a total price of $42,500 before on-road costs, the middle-of-the-road Extended Range adopts a larger 49kWh NMC battery that increases output to 85kW/147Nm.Total driving range subsequently increases to 360km, while there are 17-inch alloys wheels fitted as standard.It carries the same safety suite as the Standard Range, which includes blind-spot collision-avoidance assist, forward collision-avoidance assist with junction turning, lane-keeping assist, highway driving assist, rear cross-traffic alert and driver attention warning.The flagship Inster Cross utilises the same 49kWh NMC battery as the Extended Range, but adds an additional suite of standard features, taking the total price to $45,000 before on-road costs.Those features include heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, 64-colour ambient lighting, a sunroof with a manual shade, roof rails, Inster Cross-exclusive skid plates and bumpers, a privacy rear door and flat-folding seats.Additional safety technology over its Standard and Extended Range siblings includes a surround-view monitor, parking collision avoidance assist, a blind-spot view monitor and parking sensors.Inster Cross customers can opt for the no-cost Roof Basket Option Pack, which adds a roof basket, a black two-tone roof and a black a-pillar finish. It does, however, reduce range to 293km and mean you’ll lose the sunroof.

Hyundai has teased images and video of its Insteroid - a wild concept based on the brand’s Inster electric hatch.Looking like something that’s just arrived back from an apocalyptic future the Insteroid is a pumped up beast. And if you hadn’t worked it out, Hyundai says the name Insteroid comes from the combination of 'Inster' and 'Steroid' to emphasise the meatiness of this concept hatch.Due to be revealed to the world globally in April 2025, the Insteroid features massive wheel arch air vents, 21-inch wheels and signature pixel LEDs.Then there’s the monstrous rear wing the likes of which we’ve only seen on Hyundai's Pikes Peak racers such as the Ioniq 5 N or World Time Attack cars. Could the Insteroid be Hyundai’s hint of its next Pikes Peak entry for the event in June?What’s more possible is the Insteroid continuing Hyundai's recent tradition of creating one-off wild cars to demonstrate the company’s fun take on vehicles.“Insteroid is designed to boost the emotional experience of electric cars,” the brand said.“Equipped with fun details, it offers plenty to discover; every element – from the control buttons to the instrument cluster, the rear spoiler to the brakes – reflects Insteroid character.”At the same time, Hyundai also uses such concepts to gauge public reactions towards cars or ideas it may be thinking of actually sending down the production line.Back in 2022 Hyundai unveiled its N Vision 74 concept which was based on its 1974 Pony Coupe. The reaction was so overwhelmingly good from the public Hyundai announced in 2024 the model would go into production.Hyundai’s announcement of the incoming Insteroid concept follows the recent teasing of similar shadowy images of cartoon-ghost motifs on interior controls ahead of the Seoul Mobility Show in April. Whether these images are connected to the Instroid is yet to be seen, although the Inster is called the Casper in its South Korean home market.   In Australia, Hyundai's Inster will launch in the next few weeks and serve as the Korean brand's rival to small affordable electric SUVs such as the BYD Dolphin, GWM Ora and MG ZS EV.

What makes a car important? Depending on the brand, important can mean a lot of different things.It could be its profitability or maybe it’s the new technology it will bring or even a new image it could create for a brand.So picking the most important new models from Australia’s biggest brands isn’t always easy, but looking ahead to what’s headed our way in 2025 one common theme emerged - sales.It seems obvious, it’s important that the models each brand offers sell, but in the case of these five there is an extra layer of importance beyond just the volume they will or won’t do.To say the Ranger is important to the success of Ford Australia is an understatement. Sales of the ute account for more than 60 per cent of its total volume, and that’s before factoring in the Everest SUV spin-off.Ford has put a lot of money and resources behind this new plug-in hybrid version of the Ranger, knowing that it needs to cut its fleet emissions as the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) is introduced in 2025.If Ford can get its marketing and sales staff to successfully push the Ranger PHEV it sets the brand up for a bright, lower-emissions future. But if they can’t, it could become a very expensive white elephant for the brand.Toyota hasn’t said too much on the record, but all signs point to a new RAV4 arriving by the end of 2025. The popular SUV usually has a six-year lifespan and the current iteration was launched in 2019, so in theory it’s time is up.What will we see from the new RAV4 - will it be more of the same or a shift upmarket like we’ve seen with the CH-R? The former is far and away the most likely, although don’t be surprised if inflation drives the price up slightly, as the RAV4 has become the brand’s bedrock passenger vehicle.There is a possibility it will follow the Camry and go for an all-hybrid line-up, but that would undoubtedly drive the entry-price up and Toyota is probably hesitant to do that if it can be avoided. It should have enough hybrids to help offset its HiLux and LandCruiser sales under NVES.Why is a small car so important in 2025? Especially when Kia is set to launch its all-new Tasman ute? Well, because of sales.The K4 is the replacement for the Cerato which, despite all the hype around SUVs and utes, is still Kia Australia’s second best-selling model (behind the Sportage SUV, of course). If the more polished-looking K4 carries a significant price rise, though, that could dent its market appeal and leave Kia with a sudden drop in its overall volume.Small cars like the Cerato and Toyota Corolla still do decent volumes, in large part because they are affordable and appeal to a sizeable number of people that don’t want a bigger car. Pricing the K4 right will be the most important challenge for Kia Australia in 2025, regardless of what happens with the Tasman.This new baby of the Hyundai family is due in the early months of 2025 and will bring with it a lot of expectations and new hope. While we’re still waiting for official details (at the time of publication) the speculation is it will carry a sub-$40k price tag. That would be a big deal for Hyundai in its fight against the influx of affordable electric small cars from China - such as the GWM Ora, BYD Dolphin and MG4.But more than that, the Inster needs to draw a younger audience to Hyundai. The brand has deliberately ditched its ‘cheap and cheerful’ image for a more premium range. But there’s no doubt many current Tucson, Santa Fe and Staria drivers probably had an Excel or Accent in their past.The Inster is unapologetically youth-targeted, so if it can be priced right it could be critical in reviving Hyundai’s chances with a fresh audience for years to come.The Chinese brand may be proudly celebrating its improved new generation of vehicles, including the recently launched ZS Hybrid+, but the reality is its volume aspirations are tied to affordability. Which is where the rest of the ZS will play such a crucial role when it arrives in early 2025.While the hybrid offers a good value package, its mid-$30k price range is a big step up from the sub-$25k entry-level ZS of old. Introducing at least two (but preferably three) sub-$30,000 models will be crucial to maintaining the ZS as the best-selling small SUV in the country.

Hyundai Australia has confirmed the just-revealed high-riding Inster Cross will follow the early 2025 arrival of its city-sized Inster EV SUV line-up.

Hyundai is preparing its new macho mini electric SUV.