India-bound Hyundai Creta facelift to get Verna-like looks; launch early next year

The Creta facelift will get the new 160hp, 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine, ADAS and more tech.

Published On Apr 28, 2023 06:45:00 PM

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The current-gen Creta went on sale in India back in March 2020, with Hyundai revealing a facelift for Indonesia in end-November 2021. The facelift spotted in Indonesia, however, hasn’t launched in India yet because the Creta headed here will have styling cues that's not similar to the 2021 facelift. A fresh set of spy shots confirm that Hyundai is developing another iteration of the Creta facelift and this is the one that’s most likely headed to India.

Creta facelift for India will have unique styling
Will come with two petrols, one diesel engine
Expected to get more features

Hyundai Creta facelift for India: what’s different?

Fresh spy shots of this SUV seen in Korea confirm quite a few new details despite the test mule being heavily covered. First up, the front styling of the facelift gets a much wider grille with inserts similar to the new Verna sedan. The headlamps are now split in two proper sections with the top ones having a Venue facelift-like LED Daytime Running Lamps (DRL), and the bottom ones being rectangular units that seem to be divided in two sections for high and low beam units.

The H-style DRL pattern could also be present on the headlights of the Creta facelift, similar to the yet to be revealed Hyundai Santa Fe SUV and the India-bound Hyundai Exter micro SUV. The top part of the headlamps seem to have another LED unit that looks like the connected LED light bar seen on the latest-gen Verna. What can also be confirmed from these spy shots is that the SUV has a dedicated camera and ADAS suite on the grille, which confirms a 360-degree camera set-up as well as ADAS tech, a feature that's soon becoming common in almost all midsize SUVs.

In profile, there aren't many styling differences expected. While there will be some minor tweaks in the chrome application and the cladding around the doors, the alloy wheel design may or may not change as the test mule still sports the current-gen Creta’s 17-inch alloy wheels. The facelift was spotted with made-in-India JK Tyres. At the back, there will be some styling tweaks that include a new rear bumper and tailgate design, and the connected tail-lamps are also likely carried over from the latest Verna.

Hyundai Creta facelift for India: three engine options expected

The Creta sold in India at the moment comes with 1.5-litre diesel and a 1.5-litre petrol engine option. The 1.4-litre turbo-petrol has been discontinued thanks to stringent RDE norms that came into effect earlier this month. The 160hp, 1.5-litre turbo-petrol, which made its debut on the Verna, will also see duty on the Creta facelift. However, it remains to be seen if Hyundai will introduce this engine in the current pre-facelift Creta or bring it along with the facelift.

Hyundai Creta facelift for India: launch timeline

Sources tell us that Hyundai will start building the facelifted Creta at its Chennai plant by mid-January 2024, with a market launch likely in February next year. This means, the Creta facelift launch is still some time away and will follow the market launch of the Kia Seltos facelift, which will likely take place by July this year. Hyundai will, however, introduce another important product in India, the Exter micro-SUV that will go on sale by August.

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