It was back in March this year, just before India went under lockdown when Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL) revealed prices for the all-new Creta. Somewhat predictably, the compact SUV clicked well with buyers as the bookings counter surged past 55,000 by July-end. Now, with the seven-month anniversary fast approaching, HMIL has made a few changes to the Creta’s portfolio.

Let’s start with the good news. There’s a new entry-level variant, which costs Rs 9.82 lakh excluding taxes. It houses the 1.5-litre petrol engine, mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, and falls under the ‘E’ trim level. Compared to the diesel-MT E variant, which was previously the least-expensive option, the petrol-MT E costs about Rs 18,000 less. And as for the list of features, they both have the same.

With that development out of the way, let’s divert our focus on the other change that HMIL has enforced. Except for the diesel-MT E variant, all others have received a price hike. The table below shows the difference:

So, most of the derivatives now cost about Rs 12,000 more than before. Only the petrol-MT EX variant has received some special treatment. Its price has gone up by nearly Rs 62,000. Now, you might say that Hyundai must have made some changes to the list of features. If that were true, the price for the diesel-MT EX should have risen by a comparable amount. But that’s not the case. In fact, the reason for Creta’s revised pricing is still unknown. In all probability, the depreciating currency has something to do with it.

There are no mechanical changes to report. As before, the Creta is available with one diesel and two petrol engine options. Except for the turbocharged petrol mill, which is available only with a 7-speed DCT, other powerplants are available with both automatic and manual transmissions. The Hyundai Creta competes directly with the Kia Seltos and Nissan Kicks and rivals the MG Hector and Tata Harrier on pricing.