At its 2026 CEO Investor Day, Hyundai revealed plans to debut its made-in-India compact electric SUV by March 2027. However, Tarun Garg, Managing Director and CEO of Hyundai Motor India, in an interaction with our sister publication Autocar Professional, confirmed the EV will debut earlier than that, by the end of 2026. Garg also said that the EV will initially use battery cells from Svolt, before moving to its original plan to source them from Exide.
- To be built on the E-GMP (K) platform that underpins the Inster EV
- Will rival the Tata Nexon EV, Mahindra XUV 3XO EV and Kia Syros EV
Hyundai has also revealed it expects EVs to account for more than 7 percent of its domestic sales within the next year. In FY26 (April 2025 to March 2026), EVs accounted for a 1 percent share of total Hyundai sales in the country, a figure similar to FY25 (April 2024 to March 2025).
Upcoming Hyundai compact EV: More details
Svolt to supply battery cells initially, after Exide flagged production delays earlier
The upcoming compact EV will initially use Svolt battery cells. “We are already ready with the new EV using Svolt cells. Otherwise, the programme could have been delayed, and we did not want to delay the vehicle,” Garg said to Autocar Professional. However, Hyundai subsequently plans to source locally produced cells through its association with Exide, as was originally planned. Notably, Exide revealed in August 2026 that battery production is delayed and that they would not be able to supply components by FY27 (by March 2027).
Will be underpinned by the Inster’s E-GMP (K) platform
The upcoming compact EV, codenamed HE1i, will be underpinned by the E-GMP (K) platform, also used by the internationally available Inster EV. It will be offered in two versions: standard range and long range, but exact specifications are under wraps. For context, the Inster EV is also available in standard and long-range versions, with 42kWh and 45kWh batteries, respectively, offering a WLTP-claimed range of up to 355km.
Hyundai has also confirmed that the new compact EV will get a ‘next-generation infotainment system’, which could be the Pleos Connect infotainment system seen on several new-age Hyundai models now, and a ‘Level 2 assisted driving technology’. It will be manufactured at Hyundai’s Sriperumbudur facility in Tamil Nadu. Upon launch, it will lock horns with the Tata Nexon EV, Mahindra XUV 3XO EV and Kia Syros EV.
With inputs from Ketan Thakkar and Hormazd Sorabjee
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Glenn Noronha
Dhruv Dhaka
