We reported earlier that the pint-sized Hyundai Inster EV is getting a rugged new look. Spy shots from South Korea now show the Casper EV Cross, designed to appeal to drivers who want a bit more of an adventure on their city commute. Hyundai Inster EV Cross is Casper's European twin, and this is the first glimpse of the toughened-up model designed for the Korean market.
The original Casper EV launched in Korea with a price tag of around €18,000. It has been a hit due to its affordability and practicality, since with government subsidies, its price drops to an astonishingly low €7,200. In Europe, the Inster EV starts at just under €24,000.
The new Cross trim adds a dose of off-road styling to the compact EV. The Casper gets chunky front and rear bumpers, black cladding along the wheel arches, skid plates for a touch of underbody protection, and a roof rack for hauling gear. A recent video from HealerTV revealed these design elements, showing a car that looks ready to tackle anything from city streets to at least some gravel roads.
The Hyundai Casper EV Cross, a rugged new variant of the popular electric city car, has been spotted for the first time, showing off a bold off-road-inspired styling.
The Insteroid is a one-off, modified Hyundai Inster with a Drift Mode
Small EV goes full Need for Speed, and we’re here for it
This is the Insteroid concept: Hyundai’s effort to take its urban-friendly Inster EV and prop it with a tablespoon of amusement and a ladle’s worth of tuner culture. The end product is… predictably wild.
The flared arches add plenty of brawn to the originally petite shape, as does the preposterous rear wing, the sharp front splitter and the new rear diffuser. Oh, and would you look at the size of the air inlets on those side skirts; Hyundai’s really gone to town on the clown-o-meter with this thing.
Other embellishments include track-optimised alloys with different designs at each axle: unusual circle-spokes at the front and deep dishes at the back. The roof scoop is probably the smallest element of the exterior, itself big enough to swallow a dozen Mars bars per second.
You’d be forgiven for thinking it's properly Spartan in there too, but not quite. It’s more… Spartan with a blazer equipped. There's very little out back except for a roll cage, but the front section gets bucket seats and a specialised instrument cluster, likely displaying your roof scoop’s chocolate consumption rate.