Hyundai NZ plans to try baby model before buying in.

LOCAL evaluation is required before Hyundai here accepts the Inster, likely to be the brand’s cheapest electric car.

Unveiled fully today, the city-centric model, promising up to 335 kilometres’ range, has already been signed off for Australia, which often shares common specification product with New Zealand.

Hyundai’s cheapest electric vehicle yet is due in Australia next year with expectation it will sell for circa $NZ43,000 price.

The car has been in Hyundai NZ’s thoughts for a while, because while this Inster edition is all new, in reality it is a development of a established petrol product, called Casper, that sells mainly in South Korea.

Probability of Casper going electric cemented in February, and the local brand offered a view then.

Conceivably, imperative to have it will have grown with the arrival of cheap product from China selling in that pricing sphere.

Today, however, the Auckland-based distributor took a step back, with a spokesman saying “local launch plans will be confirmed once Inster has been evaluated for the New Zealand market.”

So is that a tentative yes or a maybe?

Inster isn’t simply an electric-adapted Casper. The EV has a 230mm longer body, and is 180mm longer between the front and rear wheels, for a roomier cabin – and space for a larger battery pack.

It has a similar footprint to a Suzuki Swift, but is taller, more akin to the Toyota Yaris.

Hyundai has denied the name has any link with the social media platform Instagram. Rather, it says, it is from the words 'intimate' and ‘innovative'.

Powering the Inster is a choice of 42kWh Standard and 49kWh 'Long Range' battery packs, the lesser rated to deliver 300km-plus, the latter the 355km more likely to appeal to NZ. Those figures are based on European WLTP assessment.

Hyundai claims both batteries can be recharged from 10 to 80 per cent in 30 minutes at up to 120kW DC, while the 11kW AC onboard charger can fill the batteries in four hours, or four hours and 35 minutes respectively on a home 'wall box' charger.

Both models use nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries, rather than lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry.

Both are single motor, this driving the front wheels. The Standard’s motor develops 71kW/147Nm and the Long Range makes 85kW/147Nm.