The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) recently posted about the latest Hyundai models to be assessed under the ASEAN NCAP program.
The new Hyundai SUV and MPV in question are the Hyundai Creta as well as the Hyundai Stargazer. Both models performed well in the tests and have obtained a five-star ASEAN NCAP rating for the Hyundai Creta and four stars for the Hyundai Stargazer.
Are they coming to Malaysia, though?
While these two models are manufactured for the Indonesian market thanks to the new Hyundai Motor Manufacturing (HMMI) mega plant near Cikarang, the Creta in particular has been spotted just a few months back on Malaysian soil.
Hyundai has invested heavily in the local assembly efforts in Indonesia and Malaysia’s own Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors reckons that our very own CKD program will increase in the near future. Since the Creta is already built as a right-hand-drive model in Indonesia, the CKD assembly kit might make sense price-wise to bring it into the Malaysian market and assemble at the Inokom plant in Kulim, Kedah.
What about the Stargazer?
As for the seven-seater Hyundai Stargazer MPV which was just launched in Indonesia back in July, there’s still no indicator of its arrival here in Malaysia. If it does, it’ll go up against other popular models within its segment such as the Mitsubishi Xpander, Honda BR-V, and Toyota Veloz to name a few.
It’s already available in Thailand and if the pricing is right (if Hyundai-Sime Darby Motor can somehow get the CKD kit from the Indonesian plant), it might just work, especially for those who prefer an MPV that looks a bit futuristic.
Power-wise, both the Hyundai Creta and Stargazer are equipped with the same Smarstream G 1.5-litre NA four-cylinder engine which produces 115PS and 144Nm of torque. Interesting prospects to say the least, especially if we can get them to be locally assembled.