Hyundai Teases Its Big-Wing Insteroid
The Hyundai Inster is a compact, battery-electric vehicle sold in European markets, and in Korea as the Casper Electric.
The Hyundai Insteroid concept looks to borrow fender flares and a landing-deck-sized wing from the company's World Rally Championship parts bin.
The Hyundai Insteroid is set for a full reveal this April.
Hyundai is teasing what might be one of the most interesting concepts of the year: the Hyundai Insteroid. Inspired by over-the-top video game creations—and seemingly the brand's own WRC efforts—the Insteroid takes the subcompact Hyundai Inster and makes it look ready for a rally stage.
For those that aren't familiar with the Hyundai Inster, or its Korean Casper Electric counterpart, this battery-electric subcompact isn't exactly a world-beating performance machine. Powering the Inster is a standard 42-kWh battery pack, or the long-range 49-kWh battery pack. The battery pack feeds either a front-mounted 95- or 113-hp motor.
Looking like a scaled-down Ioniq 5, the Inster's boxy shape easily lends itself to the Group B-style box fender flares. Joining big flares is a massive rear wing and what appears to be a full roll cage. As this is just a teaser, Hyundai hasn't mentioned any powertrain changes, but you'd hope that there's a performance bump to justify to aggressive aero and body work.
While it's doubtful that anything like the Insteroid will ever hit public roadways, this could be preview of a battery-electric WRC machine. The Insteroid could also make its way into a video game like Gran Turismo and let you take it for laps around racetracks at your leisure. We won't know if it will even have the digital performance chops until Hyundai reveals it all in April of this year.
Do you think Hyundai should bring small battery-electric cars like the Inster to the US? Tell us your thoughts below.
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