Hyundai India to Launch Hybrid SUV in 2026

Amid the increased demand for hybrid vehicles in India, the Korean automaker Hyundai is now focusing on tapping the hybrid market in our country. That said, they have begun working on an all-new SUV, which is speculated to hit our markets in 2026. 

This Hyundai hybrid SUV will be manufactured at the company’s newly acquired production facility from General Motors, which is situated in Talegaon, Pune. In fact, the next-gen Hyundai Venue will also be produced at that facility.

This upcoming iteration is internally called the Ni1i, which will be sandwiched between the Hyundai Alcazar and Hyundai Tucson in the brand’s lineup. More so, this vehicle will be Hyundai India’s first petrol-hybrid vehicle, which will have a strong hybrid technology. 

Once the Hyundai hybrid SUV is launched, it will make the strong hybrid market in India more competitive, as there are already players like Toyota Kirloskar and Maruti Suzuki. Interestingly, the sales of petrol-hybrid vehicles have been increasing and Hyundai India doesn’t want to feel left out. 

Details We Have So Far

There are reports that the Hyundai Ni1i will be on sale as a three-row offering, which will be an alternative to the Tata Safari and Mahindra XUV700. But, it is rumoured to be slightly longer than the Hyundai Tucson, and the latter measures 4630mm. 

Additionally, there are rumours that this hybrid SUV will be based on the China-bound Tucson LWB, which is 4680mm long, thereby making it more suitable for third-row passengers.

However, the Mahindra XUV700 and Tata Safari have a length of 4695mm and 4668mm, respectively, and both SUVs offer better third-row legroom than the Alcazar. 

Now keeping that aside, let’s move on to the specifications front. Since this will be a hybrid SUV, we can assume that Hyundai may borrow the 1.6-litre petrol-hybrid engine from the internationally-sold Tucson. But, the Korean carmaker may downsize the engine to 1.5-litre while retaining the hybrid setup to keep prices in check. 

Industry reports also suggest that the company may set the production of this C-segment SUV at 50,000 units annually, although the exact number is yet to be determined. From 2026 onwards, the South Korean automobile manufacturer will have an array of powertrain options in India, comprising petrol, diesel, CNG, ethanol, hybrid, and electric. 

Once launched in India, the upcoming Hyundai hybrid car (codenamed: Ni1i) will directly lock horns with Maruti Suzuki’s C-segment SUV (codenamed: Y17), and the latter will be manufactured at Kharkhoda facility. 

Sales of Hybrid Cars in India

The number of dispatched hybrid vehicles increased to 89,000 units, which accounts for 2.1 per cent of the 4.23 million units in the passenger vehicle market in India. This figure outperformed the sales of EVs by 10,000 units, with approximately 99,000 electric vehicles sold in FY-24. 

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