The Hyundai Casper () is a
crossover city car
A crossover, crossover SUV, or crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is a type of automobile with an increased ride height that is built on unibody chassis construction shared with passenger cars, as opposed to traditional sport utility vehicles ( SU ...
produced by the South Korean automobile manufacturer
Hyundai
Hyundai is a former South Korean industrial conglomerate ("''chaebol''"), which was restructured into the following groups:
* Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested
** Hyundai Asan, a real estate construction ...
. It is the smallest
crossover SUV
A crossover, crossover SUV, or crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is a type of automobile with an increased ride height that is built on unibody chassis construction shared with passenger cars, as opposed to traditional sport utility vehicles ( ...
ever offered by the brand, and also the smallest automobile of any kind that is currently sold by Hyundai.
The Casper has been developed in compliance with the "light car" () category in South Korea which offers tax incentives for vehicles with exterior dimensions below in length and in width, and is the first Hyundai vehicle to occupy the segment after the
Atos
Atos SE is a European multinational information technology (IT) service and consulting company with headquarters in Bezons suburb of Paris, France, and offices worldwide. It specialises in hi-tech transactional services, unified communicat ...
. As a result, it is developed as a four-seater vehicle.
A
battery electric version of the Casper was introduced in June 2024 as the Hyundai Casper Electric, or the Hyundai Inster in Europe.
Overview
The Casper was revealed through a set of images on 1 September 2021. Pre-orders started on 15 September 2021, and the vehicle was released on 29 September. According to Hyundai, the name "Casper" is taken from the
Casper skateboarding
Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport that involves riding and Skateboarding trick, performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a method of tr ...
technique. It's also confirmed that the Casper will be getting
advanced driver-assistance systems
Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) are technologies that assist drivers with the safe operation of a vehicle. Through a human-machine interface, ADAS increases car and road safety. ADAS uses automated technology, such as sensors and camer ...
across three trim lines, Smart, Modern and Inspiration.
The front fascia has turn signal lights situated at the top and circular LED daytime running lights at the bottom. The rear door handle uses a hidden type near the window glass portion, while the parametric pattern of the front grill was applied to the rear lamp to design. Circular turn signal lights was used for the front/rear portions. The rear seat is in the form of two single seats attached.
The Casper uses a pedal-type parking brake. Safety technologies such as forward collision prevention assistance, lane departure prevention assistance, and lane maintenance assistance are available. The ''
Smartstream G1.0'' petrol engine is based on the existing naturally aspirated engine.
The Casper Van was officially released on 3 February 2022. It has secured a loading capacity of 940 litres by emptying the space in the second row. Hot stamping, a lightweight construction method, was applied to major areas to minimize body deformation in case of collision. The torsional rigidity and average tensile strength were increased through the high-strength lightweight body. The facelifted Casper was officially revealed on August 16, 2024, and online contract reservations opened at 8:30 a.m. on October 18, 2024.
File:00 Hyundai Casper.jpg, Front view
File:01 Hyundai Casper.jpg, Rear view
File:Hyundai Casper AX1 Tomboy Khaki (3).jpg, Interior
File:Hyundai Casper Active Inspiration AX1 PE Sienna Orange (4).jpg, Front view (facelift)
File:Hyundai Casper Active Inspiration AX1 PE Sienna Orange (20).jpg, Rear view (facelift)
Powertrain
Casper Electric / Inster
On 27 June 2024 at the
Busan International Mobility Show, Hyundai introduced a battery electric derivative of the Casper. It is marketed as the Hyundai Casper Electric in South Korea, and as the Hyundai Inster in Europe and Japan. According to Hyundai, Inster is a
portmanteau
In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together. of 'intimate' and 'innovative'.
In Europe, the Inster will be positioned between the A-SUV and
B-SUV segments.
Starting from early 2025, Hyundai plans to market the electric vehicle in Japan
and Australia,
but no plans have been announced for the United States.
Compared to the petrol-powered Casper, Hyundai extended the length and wheelbase of the Casper Electric / Inster by , respectively.
[ The width also has grown by .][
File:Hyundai Inster DSC 8775.jpg, Rear view
File:Hyundai Inster Auto Zuerich 2024 DSC 6727.jpg, Interior
File:2024 Hyundai Casper Electric powertrain.png, Powertrain
]
Markets
= Australia
=
The Inster was launched in Australia on 16 April 2025, it is available in three variants: Standard Range (42 kWh), Extended Range (49 kWh), and Cross.
= Europe
=
The Inster debuted in Europe in January 2025 at the 2025 Brussels Motor Show, available in standard and Cross models.
Powertrain
The integrated drive module used by the Casper Electric / Inster is sourced from BorgWarner
BorgWarner Inc. is an American automotive and Electric vehicle, e-mobility supplier headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. As of 2023, the company maintains production facilities and sites at 92 locations in 24 countries, and generates revenu ...
.[ Maximum outputs are and for the front-mounted traction motor on the Standard range model, and and for the Long Range model.][
The Casper Electric / Inster will be available with Standard, and Long Range powertrain options with 42 kWh and 49 kWh battery respectively. Although early reports stated they would be equipped with ]lithium iron phosphate
Lithium iron phosphate or lithium ferro-phosphate (LFP) is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is a gray, red-grey, brown or black solid that is insoluble in water. The material has attracted attention as a component of lithium iron phosp ...
() chemistry,[ it was announced at launch the batteries will be lithium nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) instead.][ Under WLTP standards, the electric range is rated at and respectively. There is an on-board charger which accepts AC power at up to 11 kW; the vehicle also can connect to a DC source at up to 120 kW, at which rate either battery will recharge from 10 to 80% in 30 minutes.][
]
Awards
* World Electric Car of the Year (Casper Electric/Inster) — 2025 World Car Awards
Sales
See also
* List of Hyundai vehicles
The South Korea, South Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company has produced various Car, cars, SUVs, Truck, trucks, and Bus, buses since its inception in 1967.
Passenger vehicles Current models
Former models
Commercial vehi ...
References
External links
*
* (Hyundai Inster, Global)
{{Hyundai light truck/SUV timeline, international markets, 1991–present
Casper
Cars introduced in 2021
Mini sport utility vehicles
Crossover sport utility vehicles
City cars
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
Hatchbacks
Production electric cars
Subcompact cars