Hyundai has revealed the name of its new small SUV for the European market. Christened Bayon, the SUV will be the brand’s latest entry-level model in Europe and is slated for launch sometime in the first quarter of 2021 with deliveries expected to begin thereafter.
The Hyundai Bayon will join the brand’s current European line-up of Kona, Tucson, NEXO and Santa Fe, becoming the newest member of the family. It’s expected to be an alternative to existing crossovers/small SUVs in the European market like the Renault Captur, Ford Puma, Nissan Juke and Seat Arona among others. It’s expected to share the K platform with the all-new i20 and also feature a similar set of powertrains including the 84bhp 1.2-litre petrol engine alongside the 1-litre turbo-petrol that’s offered in two states of tune, 99bhp or 118bhp.
The name Bayon was inspired out of the French basque town of Bayonne, popular among tourists for its adventurous and lifestyle oriented character that’s also expected to be the core qualities of the young and evolving audience Hyundai is targeting.
On the announcement of the brand’s new SUV, Andreas-Christoph Hofmann, VP, Marketing and Product, Hyundai said, “Hyundai is strongly established in the European SUV market in terms of our model range as well as our sales success. By launching a new, additional B-segment model as the entry point into our SUV line-up, we see a great opportunity to cover European customers’ demand even better and to increase our offering in a highly popular segment."
The push for small SUVs comes in the wake of growing demand for cars in this segment not only in Europe, but across the world. Small SUVs tend to be a significant step-up over small hatchbacks by offering more space, better practicality and better skills off the beaten path to an extent thanks to the higher ground clearance and better suspension travel.