Hyundai Motor debuts Casper EV at mobility show in Busan

[Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Co.]

Busan International Mobility Show (BIMOS) 2024, one of South Korea‘s major motor shows, kicked off on Thursday in Busan, presenting 59 vehicles from seven car brands, including Hyundai Motor Co.’s Casper Electric and Renault Korea Motors Co.’s Grand Koleos.

On the opening day, Hyundai Motor’s debut of the Casper Electric garnered significant attention.

Originally anticipated to be a compact car akin to Kia Corp.’s Ray EV, Hyundai Motor surprised attendees by upgrading its class to a small-sized vehicle.

The Casper Electric, which is 3,825 millimeters long, is about 200 mm longer than the Ray EV and 230 mm longer than the internal combustion engine version of the Casper.

Hyundai explained the class upgrade was aimed at offering a reasonable price while preserving the EV’s key advantage of long range. Unlike the Ray EV, which uses a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, the Casper Electric features a more advanced nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) battery with a larger capacity of 49 kilowatt-hours, compared to the Ray EV‘s 35.2 kWh.

Equipped with the NCM battery, the Casper Electric can travel 315 kilometers on a single charge, about 100 km more than the Ray EV (205 km) and more than the range of Mercedes-Benz Group AG’s compact sport utility vehicle EQB (302 km).

Hyundai Motor boasted the Casper’s long driving range as its greatest advantage. Domestic prices are expected to be in the 20 million won ($14,000) range.

“Although the overall EV market is slowing down, we hope the Casper Electric can create a turnaround opportunity for us,” said Hyundai Motor President Chang Jae-hoon.

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chairman Euisun Chung also attended the show on the opening day, visiting the booths of the group’s automakers and the local battery company Kumyang Co.

Renault Korea Motors unveiled the Grand Koleos, its first new car in four years since the XM3 in 2020. Measuring 4,780 mm in length, similar to the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento, the Grand Koleos will be available in both hybrid EV and gasoline versions.

Renault Korea has been emphasizing its French brand image by adopting the Renault headquarters’ “lozenge” emblem for all its models. The name Koleos comes from a model sold in Europe by Renault. The new model also introduces the Esprit Alpine trim, a premium trim level similar to the BMW M Sport Package.

A notable feature of the Grand Koleos is that it is the first mid-sized SUV produced by a domestic brand to include three 12-inch displays—two for the driver and one for the front passenger.