Hyundai is developing an electric version of the Casper SUV to bring it to Europe this very year

The market for affordable urban electric cars is starting to heat up in Europe, with more and more options to choose from and many more still to come. One of them will be the Casper SUV from Hyundai, as the Korean manufacturer itself has just confirmed.

The news was leaked from France, where media in that country have picked up comments from Lionel French Keogh, head of Hyundai in France, who stated that a fully electric version of the Casper is currently being developed in Japan with the aim of launching its sales in Europe at the end of this same year.

The Hyundai Casper is a small urban SUV with a combustion engine, measuring just 3.60 metres in length, which is currently sold with great success in South Korea since 2021. Over the last few years there has been speculation that it could also reach the European market, since as an urban SUV it was expected to sell very well here too. However, the Korean manufacturer has inexplicably been reluctant to do so until now, perhaps because it was waiting for the right moment to launch this new fully electric version.

The range of affordable electric cars in Europe is growing

With the launch of the electric Casper in Europe, Hyundai will compete directly with models from other manufacturers such as the updated Dacia Spring, or the Citroën ë-C3. All of these models compete directly on price. Some reports claim that the electric Casper will be priced below the psychological barrier of 20,000 euros.

Finally, it is worth noting that Lionel French Keogh has suggested that the electric Casper could see its selling price reduced by taking advantage of the subsidies the government of that country offers for buying an electric vehicle. This statement suggests that its production will take place in Europe and therefore at the Hyundai plant in the Czech Republic, where the Kona for the European market is currently built.