Key Highlights
- New digital renders of the third-generation Hyundai Creta have surfaced, based on the Crater Concept revealed at the 2025 LA Auto Show.
- In global markets, this generation will be sold as the new Hyundai Kona.
- India will continue to get it as the Creta.Â
The Hyundai Creta has been the bestselling SUV in its segment in India for years. The next generation is in development, it has been spotted testing multiple times, and now a set of new digital renders give us the best look yet at what to expect.
In most global markets, this same car will not be called the Creta. It will wear the Kona badge. Hyundai is merging its two distinct compact SUV lines into a single global product on a shared platform. India keeps the Creta name. Everyone else gets the Kona.
What the Renders Show
The renders are based on the Hyundai Crater Concept, which debuted at the 2025 LA Auto Show. Hyundai calls its design philosophy here “Art of Steel,” developed at its American Technical Center in Irvine, California.
The silhouette is dramatically different from the current Creta. Gone is the rounded, sporty stance. In its place is a boxier, more upright profile with a flatter bonnet and a vertical front fascia. It looks taller, wider, and more commanding on the road. The inspiration appears to come from the larger Palisade, scaled down.
Up front, pixel-style LED DRLs and a full-width LED light strip give it the same connected lighting signature that Hyundai has adopted across its newer models. The rear follows a similar treatment with connected tail lamps.
Platform and Powertrain
The new Creta moves to Hyundai’s K3 platform, the same architecture that will underpin the next-generation Kia Seltos. For India, the existing 1.5-litre petrol, turbo-petrol, and diesel engines are expected to carry over. A hybrid option using a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol and an electric motor is also expected to join the lineup, which will be a first for the Creta in India.
Globally, the Kona version will get a 1.6-litre hybrid with e-AWD options.
Interior
The next-gen Creta’s interiors are expected to borrow heavily from Hyundai’s bigger SUVs, including the Ioniq EV series and Palisade. A zero-gravity button for the front passenger seat that reclines and extends an ottoman is being reported. The current manual boss-mode lever for rear seat adjustment is expected to be replaced by fully electric controls that rear passengers can operate themselves.
Global reveal is expected before end-2026. India launch in early 2027. The segment leader is getting a proper upgrade.
Also read: Upcoming Hyundai Bayon-based SUV spied – Maruti Fronx rival
