Will the Hyundai Casper makes sense in the PH market?

The Philippines loves its large SUVs and crossovers but if there’s another segment that is well-loved by Filipino car buyers, it’s the subcompact hatchback segment and if there’s something that’s better than that, it’s a taller riding hatchback that wants to be an SUV.

We recently flew to Seoul, South Korea with Hyundai Motor Philippines to visit the 2023 Seoul Mobility Show. Part of the tour was a visit to the Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang where we could see all about the Korean automaker’s latest lineup, technology, and developments. 

One thing that caught our eye in the facility though was a mini city crossover that was on display in its showroom area. It was the Hyundai Casper and we think that it will make sense in the Philippine market.

Just looking at the Hyundai Casper’s exterior reveals its cuteness with its round headlights on the bumper matched with the aggressive and sharp pattern on its grille and sleek daytime running lights on top. The rear also gets a split taillight design mimicking the front fascia.  On top are the parametric design taillights while below are the turn signals.

Inside, the Hyundai Casper is rather simple but still very stylish and modern. It gets a flat-bottomed steering wheel, a Supervision instrument cluster, and 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Seating is for four passengers only but we were able to attempt five people inside the display unit (HAHA!). Also, it does get some interior ambient lighting.

Under the hood, the Casper is powered by a small engine. It gets a 1.0-liter Inline 3-cylinder Smartstream-G naturally-aspirated gasoline engine that produces 76 horsepower and 95 Nm of torque, paired to a 4-speed automatic transmission. Another option is a also a 1.0-liter gasoline engine and transmission but with a turbo. This increases output to 100 hp and 172 Nm of torque.

Of course, we were able to ask our hosts at HMPH directly whether the Casper was in their pipeline or not and while they didn’t say yes or no, we’re leaning towards a yes from them as we were being asked how much do we think it should cost if they were to bring it in. 

Nevertheless, right now, it wouldn’t make sense to source the Casper from South Korea where it is produced as that would give it a higher price tag. It would be best for HMPH to wait for it to begin production in markets like China or Indonesia in order for us to enjoy more affordable pricing which is very important to Filipino car buyers.