Launched in January 2024, the Tata Punch EV has made a significant contribution to strengthening Tata’s position in the EV market. This compact electric SUV comes in five variants – Smart, Smart+, Adventure, Empowered and Empowered+ – and offers two battery pack options – Standard 25kWh and Long Range 35kWh. Aiming to challenge Tata’s dominance in the EV segment, Hyundai and Maruti are gearing up to launch two new models – the Inster EV and Fronx EV. Here’s a brief on these upcoming compact electric SUVs.
Hyundai Instner Ev
Hyundai Motor India plans to enter into the compact electric SUV market with the Inster EV-based model in 2026. This new electric SUV will be manufactured at the carmaker’s Sriperumbudur production facility. Codenamed HE1i, the Hyundai Inster EV is globally offered with two NMC battery pack options – Standard 42kWh and Long-Range 49kWh. While the former delivers a claimed WLTP range of 300km, the latter offers 355km on a single charge. Both battery options are likely to be offered on the India-spec model.
The Hyundai Instner Ev is one of the well-equipped compact offerings from the South Korean automaker. It features a dual 10.25-inch screens – one for the infotainment and one for the instrument functionalities – along with a 360 degree camera with blind spot monitoring system, auto climate control, ADAS (advanced driver assistance system) and more.
Maruti Fronx EV
Maruti Suzuki is set to introduce the Fronx with its own strong hybrid powertrain in 2025, while the Fronx EV is likely to arrive in 2027. As of now, there is no official information on the Maruti Fronx electric. However, it’s expected to share its powertrain with the soon-to-be-launched Maruti e Vitara. The latter will come with the 49kWh and 61kWh battery options, delivering power worth 143bhp and 173bhp, respectively. Prices of the Fronx EV are expected to start around Rs 12 lakh.
