Hyundai is set to unveil its new SUV for the Chinese market, named Mufasa. Before the unveiling though, Hyundai revealed images of the Mufasa on social media, revealing its exterior. The Hyundai Mufasa gets a butch and edgy design, which certainly is bold, and somewhat characteristically similar to Mufasa from Disney’s ‘The Lion King’.
Up front, the Hyundai Mufasa gets a big black grille with vertically stacked LED headlights on either end. The side body panels and wheel fairings are similar to that of the Hyundai Tucson, while the wheels remind me of the ones on the Creta. On the back is a horizontal oval-shaped tail light which spreads across the width of the car, and the oval is filled with a contrasting gloss black colour. Overall, the SUV has a very handsome look to it, and Hyundai has certainly not overdone the design of the exterior.
While the details about the SUV are still scarce, it is expected that the Mufasa will slot in between Creta & Tucson, both in terms of size and pricing. Some of the technical specifications of the Mufasa were also revealed from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) website, which indicates that the SUV will be 4,475 mm long, 1,850 mm wide, and 1,665 mm tall. It also says that the wheelbase of the SUV will be 2,680 mm, and it will weigh 1,464 kilograms.
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The document also revealed that the Hyundai Mufasa will be offered with a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine with an output of 160 hp (158 bhp), and power will be sent to the front wheels. Reports suggest that the Mufasa may also be offered a hybrid powertrain in the near future.
The Hyundai Mufasa will go on sale in China soon and will be sold by Beijing Hyundai Motor Co, a 50:50 joint venture created by Hyundai and BAIC. The Mufasa will replace the ageing ix35 in the Chinese market. However, it is still unclear if the SUV will be offered in other parts of the world. Should it be launched in India, it would make for an ideal car for a first gen Creta owner to upgrade to, but the same may never happen. Hyundai however, will soon launch the Exter micro SUV in India, which will sit below the Venue and rival Tata Punch.
