India-bound Hyundai QXI spied inside-out in Korea

- The all-new QXI is the new sub-four metre product from Hyundai poised as a rival to Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport and Tata Nexon.

- Expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2019.

Hyundai is prepping an all-new sub-four metre SUV for India as well as international markets. Codenamed the QXI, the new baby SUV has been spotted on many occasions already. The first exclusive images of the QXI test mule came from Death Valley in America back in July 2018. Following that, a prototype of the sub-four-metre SUV was seen doing rounds around Chennai on multiple occasions. Now, a few images from Korea gave us a peek inside the cabin of the QXI for the first time.

The QXI was first showcased as a Carlino Concept at the 2016 Auto Expo. When it arrives in the first quarter of 2019, the production-ready QXI will be Hyundai’s take on the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport and Tata Nexon and the upcoming Mahindra XUV300.

If the rumours are to be believed, Hyundai might adopt the Styx moniker for the new sub-four metre SUV. Based on everything we have seen so far, we can safely say that the styling of the QXI will have Hyundai’s new design language. So it will have the new cascading grille up-front which will be flanked by sleek headlights akin to the one seen on the new-gen Santa Fe. The headlamps will be a two-tier headlamp unit with a sleek unit on top with LED DRLs. Being a crossover, there will be body cladding all around the vehicle. The silhouette seems to be a scaled-down Creta; even the rear will have a similar tailgate.

The new cabin images reveal Creta-inspired dashboard with similar instrument cluster and touchscreen infotainment system as seen on the Elite i20. The dashboard of the test mule has an all-black finish but we expect the India-spec model to have a dual tone cabin. The five-seater will come with all the bells and whistles expected from the segment.

Powering it might be the same powertrain as the Elite i20. So we expect 1.2-litre petrol and 1.4-litre diesel under the hood. Transmission could be a five- or six-speed manual with the probability of an AMT as well, which debuted in the Santro. When it is launched in India, Hyundai is expected to price the QXI in the range of Rs 7-10 lakhs.