Hyundai AX Spy Shot

Hyundai AX-1, Tata HBX’s Competition Is Getting Ready To Be Launched

The Hyundai AX-1, first announced in 2018, will be making its debut in the International market in the upcoming months. Similar to the Tata HBX, the Hyundai AX-1 comes as a new breed of pseudo SUVs dubbed as micro-SUVs. 

More Details

Earlier this month, Hyundai released a couple of teaser images of the micro-SUV, kick starting the marketing campaign for the Korean carmaker. Test mules of the car have also been spotted on various occasions. Here is what we know so far about the upcoming offering from Hyundai.

Hyundai AX1 Teaser

Design

Looking at the teaser images, we see that the design of the AX-1 is quirky aiming at the young Indian car buyer. As seen in the images, the headlamp is made up of a circular projector unit with “angel eyes” like-DRL ring housed in the lower part of the front bumper. Like its older sibling – the Venue, the AX-1 might get the indicators on the upper light cluster. The image of the tail-lamp shows a unit with an intricate triangular patterning – likely LED modules adding to the quirky nature of the SUV. It will be based on the K1 architecture like the Grand i10 Nios however, it will have a boxy shape with a flat bonnet to keep up with the SUV design language. 

Powertrain

For performance, the AX-1 could use the same 1.2L four-cylinder petrol engine that powers the Grand i10 Nios and the Aura. The power mill produces 82 bhp maximum power at 6,000 rpm and 114 Nm of peak torque at 4,000 rpm. Hyundai might also introduce an aggressively priced variant with the 1.1L petrol engine that powers the Santro currently. It produces 68 bhp at 5,500 rpm and 99 Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm. These engines will most likely be mated to a 5-speed manual and a 5-speed AMT gearbox. A CNG variant might also show up later on. There is no information about a diesel engine offering as of now. 

Hyundai AX1 Spy Shot

Features

Like most Hyundai cars recently launched by Hyundai, we expect the AX-1 to come with a hoard of competitive features. Most of them are expected to be carried on from the Aura and the Nios. We have listed some of the features it could come equipped with.

  • 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display
  • Wireless phone charger
  • Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
  • Rearview camera with parking sensors
  • Cooled glove compartment
  • LED DRLs
  • LED taillamps
  • Projector headlamps
  • Keyless entry
  • Electrically adjustable ORVMs

Hyundai AX1 Teaser (1)

The Competition

While the Mahindra KUV100 NXT and the Suzuki Ignis are the AX-1s competitors that already have been in the market for a while, we are excited to see AX-1 go up against the upcoming Tata HBX. Both cars are firsts in their segment for both the manufacturers. Looking at the current scenario and launch timelines, we can expect their launches very close to each other.

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