Hyundai has unveiled its new all-electric Inster sub-compact urban EV at the 2024 Busan International Mobility Show in South Korea.

Featuring a compact footprint, robust exterior design and spacious interior, the urban-friendly SUV is due to launch in Korea in the next few months, followed by rollouts to other markets including Australia in early 2025.

Sporting a likely price tag here of $40,000, Inster will be positioned as Hyundai’s entry-level EV, undercutting the Kona EV which starts from $54,000.

The Inster’s bold styling is underpinned by an extended wheelbase, with the compact but boxy body designed to maximise occupant and luggage space while creating a rugged road presence.

Dimensionally, the Inster is about the size of the MG ZS EV and in Korea is positioned between traditional A-segment sub-compact city cars and larger B-segment compact models.

"With Inster, we've taken the small SUV image to a bold new place for the global audience," said Simon Loasby, Senior Vice-President and Head of the Hyundai Design Centre.

"Inster punches well above its weight with distinctive design and an interior that maximizes its potential in exciting, customer-centric ways."

The exterior design features flush, clean surfaces, strong fenders, and a bold skid plate at front and rear.

Other notable exterior design elements are LED daytime running lights, and pixel-graphic lighting for the turn signals, tail lamps, and bumpers.

Optional extras include LED projection headlamps, a two-tone exterior with contrasting black roof, and the choice of 15-inch and 17-inch alloy wheels in place of the standard 15-inch steel units.

Inside, Inster features a 10.25-inch digital cluster and a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen with navigation and a wireless charging dock integrated into the compact centre console to create a greater sense of space.

The interior also features customizable upper door trim garnishes, 64-colour LED ambient lighting, one-touch sunroof and Hyundai Digital Key 2 Touch accessibility.

The front-row seating provides walk-through access to the second row with all seats, including the driver’s seat, able to be folded flat for increased flexibility.

The second-row seats are split 50/50 and include slide and recline functions, with luggage space quoted as 280 litres, or up to 351 litres with sliding rear seats.

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A front bench seat is an option in overseas markets, as are heated front seats and steering wheel.

The entry level model Inster features a 42kWh battery as standard, with a long-range 49kWh battery available as an option. Both models are powered by a single motor driving the front wheels that delivers 71kW/147Nm in the base variant and 84kW/147Nm in the long-range car.

Projected range is 355 km (WLTP) for the long-range model on 15-inch wheels, with an estimated energy consumption of 15.3kWh/100km (WLTP). The standard range is targeting a range of 300km.

A 10-80% charge on a high-power 120kW DC charging station takes around 30 minutes under optimal conditions, with AC charging at up to 11kW.

External and internal Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality allows for bi-directional charging of products like electric bicycles, scooters and camping equipment.

Among the Inster’s comprehensive list of Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) are a Surround View Monitor (SVM), Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist Rear (PCA-R), Blind-spot View Monitor (BVM) and Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist.

Other available safety inclusions are Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) and Lane Following Assist (LFA), Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA), Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA), Safety Exit Warning (SEW), Smart Cruise Control (SCC), Highway Driving Assist, Intelligent Speed Limit Assist (ISLA), Driver Attention Warning (DAW), High Beam Assist (HBA), Leading Vehicle Departure Alert (LVDA) and Rear Occupant Alert (ROA).

A spokesperson for Hyundai Australia confirmed the brand was hoping to have the Inster on sale in Australia by early 2025 with a target price of $40,000.

An additional variant, called Inster Cross, featuring a more rugged, outdoor-focused design, is due to join the range in the future.