South Korean automaker Hyundai has announced a new model called Ioniq P for India. This will be a strategic A-segment electric car serving as a low-cost alternative to the Inster sold in Europe and South Korea (as Casper Electric) in the company's global line-up.

Announcing its Q3 2026 results on 28 October, Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), the South Korean automaker’s publicly listed local subsidiary, announced it would launch a “dedicated mass market EV” in the January-March 2027 quarter. The following day, its parent company revealed Ioniq P as the name of this model while briefing analysts on its product pipeline for South Korea and overseas markets during its Q3 2026 earnings conference call.

“In China, we have Ioniq V that’s coming, and in India, we have Bayon and Ioniq P”, a Hyundai global official said. The Ioniq P will be the same A-segment EV which local media earlier referred to by the codename ‘HE1i’. The company has been testing this model locally and in South Korea for nearly a year now.

Prototypes spotted during road testing suggest the exterior of the Ioniq P will follow a concept similar to the Inster, but with a boxier, more upright shape and a tougher look, in line with Indian consumer preference for more authentic SUV character. The Indian model also looks bigger in size, which further contributes to its stronger SUV identity.

At the same time, Hyundai appears to have used several modern design cues, including flush-fitted door handles, slim front and rear lights incorporating Hyundai’s signature Parametric Pixel pattern, two-tone wheels, and a shark-fin antenna.

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