Hyundai Creta to get All-Wheel-Drive in India?

The Hyundai Creta is one of the most well-known SUV nameplates in the Indian market. The Creta can even be credited with the SUV craze in India. So what makes the Creta so popular? Its popularity mainly stems from its features and drivetrain options. However, the Creta lacks one thing, which is its limited off-road capabilities. But Hyundai has the technology to rectify this problem. Outside India, Hyundai does sell the AWD (All-Wheel-Drive) variant of the Creta. So can Hyundai bring it to India? In today’s article, let’s talk about Hyundai Creta AWD.

Why an AWD?

Most SUVs sold in the C-SUV segment, and even the mid-size segment lack true off-road capabilities. Currently, only the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Urban Cruiser HyRyder & Mahindra XUV700 offer AWD capabilities. In India, the market for AWD cars might be small, but it is expected to grow. Considering Hyundai already has the technology ready, it could bring it to India. This will help Hyundai to counter the Grand Vitara & the Urban Cruiser HyRyder and to some extent, the Mahindra XUV700.

Hyundai Creta AWD

Currently, Hyundai only sells the Creta AWD in the Russian market. This Creta AWD is based on Hyundai’s SU2r platform. For reference, the India Creta is based on the SU2i platform. So what’s different? The Russian Creta gets a different design. What engine option does it get? The AWD variant comes with 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol and 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine options.

Will it come to India?

This is a difficult question to answer. First of all, the AWD segment is still quite a niche segment in India. Also, the Creta AWD is based on a completely different platform. So it will be quite costly for Hyundai to integrate this system into the Indian version. Even with the upcoming facelift, it is highly unlikely that Hyundai would modify this platform. Moreover, due to the multiple taxation laws in the country, there are high chances that the Creta AWD would have to see a significant bump in price. Thus, the possibility of a Creta AWD in India is quite slim. 

Would you consider a Creta AWD if it is ever brought to India? Do let us know in the comments.

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